No Feelings
by reader-chic-2
Summary: Annabeth was on the swim team at her university. So was future-olympian Percy Jackson. It wasn't a surprise they fell into a FWB situation as soon as he became single. It was a surprise that Annabeth got feelings for him - something she didn't know she was physically capable of. It didn't matter though. Soon, he faded away...until something happened that refused to be ignored.
1. Chapter 1

**No Feelings**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

**A/N: New story! so, fun fact, this was inspired by a situation I found myself in recently. I just arranged it so it had a happy ending! Well, the beginning and the no feelings part of this was what I found myself in. stuff that comes later not so much, lol. ANYWAYS I feel personally close to this story, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! **

**Also, this should be like 6-9 chapters long. I'm not sure yet, but I have a lot written so far, and I'm like about 3/4 through, I believe, soo...**

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"Oh my godssss!" Annabeth moaned, eyes rolling to the back of her head as she struggled to get a grasp on reality. Percy chuckled smugly above her, and at another time, when she actually had feeling in her limbs, she would have smacked him. As it was, Annabeth clutched for dear life to Percy's _ripped _forearms. "You gotta – Percy, I -,"

"Shh," Percy whispered coolly as he pressed his lips against hers again, quenching all urges to speak. "I've got you, baby," he said gently, words a complete contrast to the powerful way he thrust inside of her. She felt like she was being ripped apart straight from her core. His hands intertwined with hers, and she squeezed them tightly, wondering if it was possible for him to injure her with how powerfully he moved inside her. But as stars danced through her vision, Annabeth realized she didn't care. "So hot, Annabeth. So gorgeous. Are you going to cum for me again?"

Annabeth didn't know _why _sweet talk was working with her. Normally, it made her gag. Normally, she needed dirty talk to get off, but Percy's voice sent chills down her spine with each word. It was raspy, deep, and everything she needed to have her body shuddering. Then, his hands were between her legs, fingers expertly finding her clit and toying with it until Annabeth slammed her head back into the bed, a breathy scream ripping its way up her throat as her body convulsed, but Percy was quick to react. Again, he slammed his lips against hers, swallowing all sounds as he relentlessly fucked her through her third orgasm of the night.

She must have blacked out because the next thing she knew, Percy was buried deep inside her, teeth biting her collarbone as he groaned roughly. Annabeth numbly wiggled her hips, causing Percy to bite down against her harder to keep from being too loud. She wasn't sure where she found the energy to do such a task, but she knew it drained her of it after.

Percy collapsed against her, softly, but enough for her to feel completely capsulated by him. Not one for tight spaces, Annabeth was shocked to find her body melting into the mattress and Percy. When he seemed to have regained energy, Percy pushed back up to his hands, biceps flexing effortlessly in the process. He looked into her eyes and a wicked smirk formed.

"S-stop looking at m-me like t-that," Annabeth stuttered, finding her jaw to be too stiff to move properly. She sighed impatiently.

Percy flashed her a full-on grin before bending down and kissing her slowly, like they hadn't just nearly blacked out from hot, heavy sex. Annabeth kissed him back nevertheless, always eager to feel his lips sliding along her tongue, tasting his expertly perfect mouth. When he kissed her slowly, it always made her head spin as she tried to understand _why_he liked kissing like this. There was no direct sexual build up, but then again, there was.

Percy was hands down the best sex she'd had, and of the few times they'd had sex, most of them included Percy kissing her slowly throughout it all. Even when he upped the pace of the actual sex, everything else was slow and sensual and so foreign. It _shouldn't _have worked, but it did. It created this fog in Annabeth's head that she found was almost always accompanied with an orgasm that had her vision blurring and muscles faltering.

"I love when your body freezes up," Percy said with interest. "It's like kissing half your lips!"

"Hate you," Annabeth breathed, weakly lifting an arm to smack him. It only made him laugh.

With a final sigh, Percy stood up. "Alright. Can I clean you up or are you going to bitch at me again?"

Annabeth threw a pillow at him this time. Every conscious part of her wanted to point out she could clean herself up, but she was still _so _weak. And if Percy was able to stand already, then he ought to help her out. "Fine."

Percy smiled happily, as if this was something he enjoyed as much as sex. Without warning, he picked Annabeth up and carried her into his bathroom. The shower had a seat, which she eagerly sat on, blinking as the water turned hot and was directly closer to her.

"You know, for a division 1 collegiate swimmer, I really expected you to have better stamina, sweetheart," Percy snickered as he squirted shampoo onto his hands and immediately started massaging it into her hair.

"Once an asshole, always an asshole," Annabeth closed her eyes, standing and falling back against Percy's chest despite her annoyance with the tall miniature Greek god.

"I'm teasing," Percy pinched her butt lightly. "You're great. Rachel always stopped after one round. Said it hurt or some shit."

Annabeth snorted, hands idly running down Percy's toned torso. "Her loss."

Percy hummed in agreement as he washed the soap out. Annabeth was very compliant this time around. Their first shower together consisted of a bunch of cursing, fighting over the slippery soap, and ended with Percy getting shampoo in his eyes. He cried. Annabeth laughed. Nevertheless, this time, it was nice. Percy wasn't demandingly taking control. Rather, he was giving her a gift. At least, that what she liked to think of it as.

"You do know that dizzy haze isn't normal, right?" Annabeth asked as Percy ran the luffa across her chest. She noticed his eyes hesitating at her boobs, so she nudged him with her foot. "I've never blacked out during sex before."

Percy paused. "You blacked out?"

"For, like, a second," Annabeth blushed. "Still. The convulsions and locked muscles and dizziness…I've never had that before, even in the kinkiest of situations."

Percy pursed his lips for a moment. Then, he shrugged and started in on the task of washing his own body. "Is there something different I do? Rachel never mentioned any of what you're talking about."

Annabeth bit her lip. That was the thing. There wasn't some special move he did. There wasn't something that flipped her brain off. It just…floated away on its own to the sound of Percy's voice. "Maybe Rachel is just harder to please."

Percy shrugged. "Maybe."

Annabeth knew it wasn't some move he pulled. It was just Percy. He'd been like that from the start. She'd known him for almost three years at their university, and he'd always had some pull in her. She'd never fell to her temptations, not until recently. There was just something different about the way Percy did everything relating to sex – seduction, charm, flirting, kissing, sex, hickeys – he had his own flare that was impossible to name.

"Can we watch Big Mouth tonight?" Percy asked suddenly, breaking Annabeth away from her thoughts. Slightly amused, she nodded and helped wash out her hair.

"We're watching that documentary on Greek Mythology for your class sooner or later, though," Annabeth pinched his arm lightly, and he pouted in the cute manner that always made Annabeth's heart swoon.

"I'm practically a god already, sweetheart," Percy winked, and Annabeth rolled her eyes in hopes of calming her heart. It really could not handle such constant fluctuations.

"Looks don't count, Seaweed Brain," she smirked, feeling the energy come back to her. With interest, she stole Percy's loofa from his hands and started washing his body, pressing him back against the wall now. He wasn't complaining, or making a move for any more conversation, so she didn't feel bad about running her hands after the loofa, feeling the hard panes of muscle contract at her touch. His abs were truly unfair, accompanied by a happy trail, as well. Biting her lip, she forced herself to move back up to his chest, though it wasn't like his pecs were any less impressive.

"By the way you're eye fucking me, I should be coming any second now," Percy snickered devilishly, and then the charm of his body was lost. Crinkling her nose in disgust, she pinched his nipple, rinsed off completely, and exited the shower. "Well with that view of your ass, I'm closer!"

"Fuck off, Jackson!"

Annabeth grabbed one of his t-shirts and climbed into bed, pulling her lap top out of her bag to work on some homework. Not two minutes later, Percy bounced on the bed and wrapped his arms around her waist, snuggling his head on top of her thighs.

"Hey. You touch it, you eat it," Annabeth warned mirthfully. Percy hummed happily.

"Gladly," Percy mumbled before deliberately burying his head between her thighs. She smacked him until he went back to a less invasive position, chuckling all the while. "BIG MOUTH!"

Percy turned on the show, and about halfway through the second episode, Annabeth decided to put her homework away. She always had tons piling up from constantly traveling for swim meets, but she always got it done before the due date. And of all times to cherish, tonight was one of them. Any time spent with Percy felt like a rare treasure gifted to her sometimes. She couldn't explain why, though. It was always nights like these, sometimes one or both of them being a bit tipsy, but it always ended in the usual post sex cuddling with teasing talks that turned into deep conversations, and those conversations always surprised Annabeth because Percy Jackson, swimming prodigy, appeared to be everything but deep. Still, it didn't make sense why she found herself wishing they had more nights like these together.

After all, it was just sex.

Her thoughts were cut off when Percy pressed his lips against her forehead and mumbled, "Goodnight, Wise Girl." The flutter in her heart made her clench her eyes shut. She'd just ignore his weird behavior.

. . .

Both their alarms went off at 5 in the morning. Annabeth rolled off Percy's chest all the way onto the floor, halfheartedly dragging Percy with her. "I don't wanna…"

Annabeth snorted. That was a lie, of course. Swimming for the top division 1 school in the nation, Olympia University, meant you lived, breathed, and shitted swimming. For Annabeth, it was more of a task than Percy. In her heart, she lived, breathed, and shitted academics and learning. Still, she enjoyed swimming, even if it meant she was constantly exhausted and on a threat of falling behind in her classes every once in a while.

"I've gotta run," Annabeth groaned. The girls always warmed up first. Chiron over saw the guys' team, but he was known for pushing more swimmers to the Olympic level than any other college coach, so the girls' coach, named Lupa, and he coordinated a lot.

"See you, uh," Percy paused to think about it, "at workouts. Yeah, see you."

And then he dropped his head back to his pillow, waiting on his second and third alarms to fully wake him up.

Annabeth's throat clogged. She didn't know why those words grated against her soul, but they did. She left his room still in his t-shirt, fists clenched around her backpack. Jason Grace, Percy's roommate, was sitting at the counter, sipping a glass of water.

"Hey, Annabeth," Jason smiled at her. He would be one of the few morning people in the world.

"Hey, Jason," she said, trying to keep the irritation from her voice. If Jason noticed anything, he didn't comment on it, probably passing it off as early morning irritation.

Maybe that was the case. At least, she hoped. Otherwise, she really didn't understand what was going on. It was just sex.

Then again, it was really, really good sex. It was sex like she'd never seen or heard of before. It was addicting, so surely it made sense for her to want it, like, all of the time.

. . .

"You look a little worse for wear, Miss Bite Mark," Piper said in a suggestive voice as they climbed out of the pool.

"But I didn't swim any worse," Annabeth smirked, proud of her ability to regain energy when needed. Thalia and Reyna never let her forget the time she showed up with hickeys and swam worse than the walk-on freshmen.

"Same guy, I'm assuming," Piper noted as they entered the locker room. She was the only one who knew she and Percy were fucking. The men's and women's swim team were very close. Every time they go out on the weekends, they normally drank and pre-gamed together. They were close, and yet, there was only one couple among the teams, and it was Silena and Charles Beckendorf.

"Yeah," Annabeth said as they rinsed off. "It's mind blowing sex, Pipes. Literally, like, I'm barely conscious by the end of it."

"That sounds a little bit like rape, Annabeth," Piper said flippantly. "Should I be concerned? You can tell me _anything."_

Annabeth scowled. "You're horrible," she sighed. As more girls filtered in, their conversation died down. The hot topic today was their upcoming conference tournament in a few weeks. Their overall goal was to make it to nationals. They hadn't done that in five years. If they made it, it'd be like winning it all to them because, as good as they were, they stood no chance against the other schools.

Their men's team was a different story, though. They were ranked so low they'd make it to nationals regardless of how their regional tournament went. Honestly, they had a decent shot of winning.

And it was all because of Percy Jackson – literal water boy.

He constantly came up at practice. If they weren't talking about his form, they were talking about his good looks, and every time his name was mentioned, Annabeth grew a little smugger and spoke a little quieter. She made sure to give his name a few good insults, though.

She wasn't done gushing to Piper about the sex, though, so when she got back from classes later that evening, and Piper was in the kitchen cooking, Annabeth offered a hand.

"Why?" she looked at her suspiciously. "You never offer to help when it's not your day."

With a groan, Annabeth simply stole the lettuce out of her hands. "Well, it's just…I can't stop thinking about the sex. I almost missed an entire slide in lecture today because I was thinking about it!"

Piper made a mock face of shock. "Oh no. How ever will you live?" It was very unenthusiastic. Annabeth put her hands on her hips and waited patiently until Piper rolled her eyes and said, "Fine. Yeah. That's weird for you. Just go fuck him again."

Annabeth popped a tomato into her mouth and shook her head. "Can't do that. I asked him last night. And the night before then."

"So?"

"So I feel like I'm intruding in his personal space," Annabeth muttered. Piper shot her another disgusted look, and this time, Annabeth threw her hands up. "What? Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"I don't know! Normally, the situation is reversed and I'm gushing about a boy. Now it's you and I don't know how to help," Piper exclaimed hotly.

Her comment made Annabeth blink a few times. Was she truly 'gushing' about Percy Jackson? This didn't feel like gushing to her. It certainly wasn't as emotional as when Piper talked about her feelings, not necessarily about guys, but in general. This felt more along the lines of a problem that she would prefer to have input in before deciding.

"Besides, what will you actually do? Nothing. You've already decided being an adult and asking to hook up is not for you, even though you literally could invite him here. So you either have patience or you play hard to get. I suggest just fucking talking to him," Piper huffed indignantly.

Her words made sense, even if Annabeth didn't want to hear it. There was a crisp edge to her speech, though, so Annabeth figured she had only a select number of questions on this topic before Piper declared it unfit for talking.

"I mean, do you even talk to him? Do you know him as a friend?" Piper asked.

"Yeah," Annabeth said. "Really well. Afterwards, we always talk until someone falls asleep, or we watch -,"

"Great! If talking to him isn't the problem, then you're fine. Ask him what's up and figure it out," Piper said. "The real question is whether or not you're close enough to get Jason to notice me!"

Annabeth stole the finished salad, placing it on the table and completing the wonderful dinner spread she'd made. "Always have to turn it onto yourself, huh?"

"Ugh!" Piper threw a cucumber at her, making Annabeth snicker devilishly.

. . .

"I think I just died," Piper groaned, staring helplessly up at Annabeth. "Are you an angel? Is that why I've been graced with your pretty face."

Annabeth scowled. "That was awful, Piper. Come on. We have one most set."

Morning workouts were Annabeth's favorite part of the week. They were only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but she loved it. It definitely was better than waking up and jumping straight into the water. Now, they got a food break and were fully awake before laps started.

Everyone else seemed to hate it.

Annabeth understood their second main issue with workouts. They shared them with the men's swim team, which would be fine, except they were a slightly larger team and tended to take over the weights sometimes. They happened to be slightly cocky bastards at times.

So it didn't surprise Annabeth when she was dragging Piper over to the last open Prowler sled. They both turned to put weight on it, but when they turned back around, Percy and Jason were at it, debating over what weight to use.

"Hey, we're on it," Annabeth said, still slightly winded from their last push.

"Oh, sorry-," Jason began, but Percy elbowed him, stepping around the blonde to stand before Annabeth.

"We haven't even got our first set in," Percy whined, blinking those glossy eyes at her. "You look tired still. Why don't we do one set and then you can have it after?"

It sounded reasonable before Annabeth realized what he was doing. "Because we were here first."

Percy stepped forward, hand twirling a piece of hair between his fingers. His scent, which should have been disgusting, made her head spin. "Babe-,"

She raised a finger and jabbed it into his chest. "That is not for outside of sex and you know that," she said, just to have an upper hand on him, even if that word made her entire body flush with heat to the point that she almost felt dizzy. "It's not our fault you two are slow. This is our last set. Think of it as a gift. You get to watch our asses in the air."

It took a few seconds of processing, but then a smirk fell onto his lips. "Alright, fine. As long as I get to stretch you out."

"What about Piper?" Annabeth retorted instantly. She was shocked he was even asking. Normally, for stretching, the teams stuck to their own. It was mainly because the guys turned it into something sexual.

"Jason can stretch her out," Percy shrugged.

"Why?"

"That's the deal, sweetheart," he flexed his shoulders. The fact that the sweat stains on the front of his shirt were turning her on pissed her off. His hair sticking to his face really shouldn't have been hot..

"Fine. Whatever."

"Wow. Didn't think that'd work. Really just auctioning off your friend like that?" Percy raised an eyebrow.

Huffing at having to do extra work, she called over her shoulder without looking at Piper, already knowing exactly what her reaction would be. "Hey, Pipes, Percy's gonna stretch me out today."

"Okay," she chirped. "Jason, need a stretching partner?"

Eyes widening, he didn't even glance in Percy's direction before nodding his head in an only slightly composed manner. Percy's head whipped around with glee. "Perfect."

"I'll be waiting," she said hotly as bent over and began sprinting with the weight sled. It was exhausting, and she felt Percy's eyes on her ass the whole time. When she made it back, her legs gave out and she collapsed on the floor as Piper took the sled. Somehow, she found enough energy to roll to her back. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Percy standing over her.

"That was hot," he said, extending a hand. With a sneer, Annabeth took it, hoping her cheeks didn't expose how much his comment affected her. Without another word, she made her way toward the water and watched as Percy effortlessly took the sled from Piper and sprinted down and back. Sweat rolled off his muscles, making them pop even more than usual. She didn't even bother trying to tear her eyes away, but then again, neither did any of the other girls watching.

"That should be illegal," swooned Drew. "I still can't decide who's the hottest on the team, though."

Annabeth nodded distantly. "Excuse me, have you _seen_Jason?" Piper muttered as she nearly choked on her water.

"Yeah," Lacy interjected, "but Percy's also the best swimmer. It definitely makes him hotter."

"Does it, though?" Annabeth scoffed. "He may be good, but it's obnoxious."

Piper looked at her weirdly. "It's not like he's cocky like Luke is."

"That's true," she picked at her nails, trying to ignore the way Drew and Lacy worked their way through the team, debating who had the best legs and jaw line and such. It got on her nerves.

"Hair might have to go to Percy."

_Good. They're not blind then._

"I'd give eyes to Leo. They're like deep pools of chocolate, even if he's annoying as fuck."

_What about Percy's stunningly green gems?_

"Abs definitely goes to Beckendorf."

_Again. Percy. Have they seen him shirtless?_

It was these thoughts that just immediately bounced into her head that got on her nerves. It wasn't her fault she found Percy incomparably more attractive than anyone else on the team. She knew it might have been because he fucked her brains into oblivion a couple times, but still. His butt was like a peach, and maybe Jason's legs rivaled his but barely.

She hated herself for thinking such things, even though her thoughts didn't matter. She just felt like Percy didn't need extra ego boosting, even if he didn't realize she was doing it.

The strength coaches called for stretching, and the girls finally dispersed. Percy jogged over with that crooked smile he wore constantly, most commonly before sex. "You should be exhausted after Prowlers, not grinning like an idiot."

He shrugged as she lied on the ground, lifting one leg in the air for him to grab and shove as far down as possible. Soon, his face was inches from hers with only her leg separating them. "Flexible. I like it."

She rolled her eyes.

"Have you seen the Ted Bundy documentaries?"

Annabeth snorted through her labored breathing. "No."

"Good," he nodded. "Want to watch it with me?"

Normally, Annabeth would definitely be down for watching that. She'd been eying that show since it came on Netflix, but she hadn't had the time recently. She really didn't, but she had more hesitations than that. "Is this just a ploy to get me to fuck? I like the creativity, Jackson, but it's not necessary."

Percy faltered momentarily as he switched her legs. The burn in this one was worse. She wondered if he was purposefully pushing her weaker side further. "Saw right through me, sweetheart," he said with that smile and wink that always made her flush. This time was no different, though it was accompanied with minor annoyance.

"You're easy to read," she confessed.

"Am I?" he questioned dubiously, and the idea of him withholding any secrets from her made her laugh. "Come over whenever tonight."

And that was how she found herself outside his door at midnight that night. He opened the door in sweats and a t-shirt, face full of surprise. "Oh. I didn't think you were coming."

Annabeth frowned. "Why? I said I would."

"I know," he admitted. "It's just late."

"I once came over at two in the morning," Annabeth reminded him. He snorted, running a hand through his hair. "We have time for a round. Maybe two, actually."

"Right," he stepped aside, voice a little more unsure of himself than normal. She peered at him curiously as they made their way to his room. He seemed off tonight. Annabeth put her things on a chair and found Percy lying lazily on the bed, eyes following her every movement. "Have you done any of that 'research?'"

Blushing, Annabeth crawled on the bed, situating herself directly on his lap, legs sprawled on either side of his hips. She wanted that shirt off. "My research consisted of talking about it to Piper. She'd never experienced anything like that."

Percy's eyes lit up. "Oh! Jason's at your and Piper's place right now, actually. We could go on the couch if you wanted."

Annabeth frowned. "Nah. I like being able to mentally tap out somewhere comfortable," she snorted.

Again, Percy seemed to be taken off guard. Then, he snapped back into it. "Oh, right. So I did some 'research' online-"

"I don't know why you need the quotations. That's what research is," she pointed out.

"-and I think it's called a subspace. Or maybe on the verge of it, or something. It normally happens with BD/SM shit, but that's the closest thing I can think of. Because you totally check out." Percy said, fingers curling with desire.

"I don't really get what you just said, mainly because I'm still in awe that you researched this," she giggled, breath hitching as Percy ran his hands down her sides. "But whatever it is, I like it."

His lips twitched upward. "Can I try something, then?"

"What?"

"Do you trust me?" Percy asked, hands settling on her hips with a tight grasp. She thought about it for a moment and found she had no hesitations in nodding. There were few people she'd be willing to put her life in the hands of, but Percy was one of them. Possibly the only one. "Good. I'm going to be a little more aggressive with you, okay? Maybe tie you up?"

_Oh gods. He's trying to fuck me to death._

Percy started laughing, hands pinching her side with glee. Only then did she realize she'd spoken that out loud. "Maybe, babe. Is that a yes?"

"Yes," she breathed, falling forward to press her lips against his. Percy kissed her back eagerly, hands falling onto her ass. "Want me to call you 'daddy?'"

She'd meant it more as a joke, but then Percy groaned, biting her lip in the process as he nodded eagerly.

"Okay. Grab some ties then, Daddy."

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**A/N: Sooooo? I haven't done a longer story for Percabeth yet, so please let me know what you think! Leave me some love and feedback so I can improve please, and then I'll update! I'd love to see around 3 reviews? I just love knowing people are reading these stories. **

**What do you all think so far? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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In a second flat, he had her on her back, kissing down her neck like it was his life mission.

An hour later, she was decently sure she wasn't capable of moving. Well, she was moving, but she really had no control over it. Her body sank back away from her, and all her focus was a blur.

Percy was untying her wrists and ankles, running a wet washcloth over her body. "Come back to me, baby," he chuckled, rough voice prickling her skin and reaching through the haze. Slowly, she blinked back into the now, body still tingling. "Wise girl, you with me again?"

It took her a minute to answer. "Mhmm."

Again, Percy chuckled, leaning down over her and pressing a kiss to her lips. "You're an angel," he breathed. "A true goddess, babe. That was amazing. Do you feel okay?"

Annabeth breathed deeply, back falling into his comfy bed. "My ass is on fire," she snorted, but that quickly fell short as her body remembered his firm hands slapping her butt until tears sprung to her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she sighed dreamily, still not feeling like she was firmly back to normal. "It was amazing. Is amazing. Fuck."

"How about a bath?" Percy kissed her again, softly, with all the care in the world. "Let me take care of you."

Again, he wanted to take care of her after sex. It was such a weird concept. She'd never met a guy who was so giving outside of the bedroom. She felt bad for requiring something like that, but she did not trust her abilities to move about right now.

So she lifted her arms up and nodded, eyes fluttering halfway shut. "Please."

After letting the bathtub fill with warm water, Percy picked her up. Instantly, she curled into him, enjoying his warmth and the heat rippling from his muscles.

"You're like a cuddly bear. We should have done this sooner."

Frowning, she nipped at the skin of his forearm, and he laughed again. He climbed in the tub with her, and soon she was lying back against his chest, enjoying the way his legs brushed against her.

"Your boobs float! That's sick!"

Annabeth laughed, sinking back against him as he tightened his hold around her. She traced up and down on his arm, closing her eyes and thinking about what they just did.

"Have you ever done that with Rachel?"

She didn't know where the question came from, but it was probably the last one on her mind. Still, it came out. She didn't mind, though. Annabeth had no ill will towards Rachel, but she was curious. Curious to understand them, she supposed.

"Definitely not," Percy said. When Annabeth didn't respond, he continued. "I never really wanted to, either. We had good sex, but...I don't know. Her reactions weren't like yours."

"What do you mean?"

Percy shrugged, running his hands through her hair. "She didn't like to be spanked, for starters. And she was really quiet, you know?"

Annabeth hummed. Her mind was moving slowly, and it felt like whatever she thought she blurted out. "Is that why you broke up with her?"

Percy didn't seem offended by the question. He stroked down her neck, fingers swirling around the newly made marks. It didn't take him long to answer. "I don't think so," he said. Annabeth craned her head back to look at him curiously, so he elaborated. "It just suddenly hit me that I don't see a future with her. So I ended it."

"That simple?"

"Well, yeah," he said, rubbing shampoo into her hair. It felt more soothing than she liked to admit. "We dated for so long, and it was cool, but looking back at it, it was a waste of time. The next person I date...I'm going to marry her."

Annabeth snorted. "Good luck with that."

"What?"

She tried and failed to hold back an eye roll. "The point of dating is to figure out if you're compatible, you know."

Percy was quiet for a while, rinsing out her hair with practiced ease. After he put in the conditioner, he lightly massaged her shoulders, and she really thought she'd fallen into heaven. No guy had ever treated her like this before, during, or after sex. This wasn't normal hook up behavior.

"I don't know. Now, that's what talking is for. Dating is something serious. I just think you can get to know someone before dating them."

Then, it hit her. This didn't feel like a hook up because Percy had never had a hook up before. He'd told her that before, when everything first happened. He made her feel special because that's what he was used to with sex. He didn't know this wasn't normal, even if he didn't care any more for her than he did for Rachel or any other past lover. That was good. They were still at no-feelings attached.

It was also a little less exciting, but that was beside the point.

"I guess it's not any crazier than my method," she admitted.

"What's that?"

"I just know," she said, closing her eyes and trying to burn the memory of tonight into her mind. "Some people need to get to know somebody to see if they'd like to date them. Not me. I know what I want and I can always tell if I want somebody after one conversation."

"How?"

She shrugged. "You reveal a lot in your first encounter with somebody. What you say. How you say it. Body language. Smells. Eye contact. You reveal what's important to you and what your most prominent personality traits are."

Percy was quiet for a moment. "So, what was your impression of me?"

She didn't know if he was hiding the 'what do you feel about me?' question in there or not, but it felt like it. Still, she was honest.

So, she shrugged. "Well, I don't exactly sleep with anyone I wouldn't be half willing to try to work something out on the off chance we got stuck together."

"Stuck?"

"Pregnant, Percy."

"Duh."

Annabeth turned around in his arms, looking at him with wide eyes, trying to sum up her feelings in one go. "You were somebody I was interested in, but you hit on me a week after you broke up with Rachel. So, theoretically I'd want something with you, but like all guys in my past, there's a reason why we're not together. No feelings works best. So."

Percy scowled. "So you did want something more."

She knew he'd never want to hurt her, so she immediately shook her head. "Nah. I'm not naive. I know a rebound when I see one. And like all rebounds, you did fade away."

Percy cursed under his breath, head falling back. "I'm sorrrry, Annabeth."

She laughed. "You wanted to play the field. I don't judge you for that. I just judge you for leaving me out of the field."

Percy rested his forehead against hers. "Yeah, and it didn't exactly work well for either of us. You didn't get laid for months. I didn't get laid for months. I'm stupid. We've been over this."

"My point exactly. Why didn't you get laid, though? You're Olympic level swimming. I'm sure girls are throwing themselves at you."

He snorted. "Ever heard of the _chase_? I'm big into it."

Annabeth's stomach churned at such a horrid joke. "I think that's my cue," she clutched at her stomach as she lightly bit his pec. Then, she stood and grabbed a towel, grateful that she was back to feeling normal. "What'd you call it you put me in? A subspace?"

"Yeah," Percy said distractedly as he toweled off and jumped on the bed. "So are you staying?"

Annabeth straightened from bending down to dry off her legs. She glanced at him, trying to gauge what he wanted. Percy wasn't one to send signals or anything; he usually just said what he was feeling. It was the way he phrased it that made her pause.

"Do you want me to stay?"

In the beginning, after the month-long span of Percy not not-speaking yet also not speaking to her, they caught up and agreed to just be friends, that it was a one-time thing. Then, a week later, drunk, he texted her and asked if she'd come over. She told him he was sending mixed signals, and he responded with, "I'm not meaning to. I just wanna hang out. And also maybe cuddle. I don't like sleeping alone."

And so she went over to stay the night, and of course, it led to them fucking, but that was beside the point. The point was Percy normally preferred her to stay, she thought, but when it came to asking the question out loud, he gave her the same un-answering answer.

"It's up to you," he said, throwing his hands behind his back like he was half asleep already. And just. Annabeth didn't want to disturb that comfort. She stayed at his place every time they fucked.

And Percy really didn't get that that wasn't necessary. So far, Annabeth had been abusing his niceness and care because she honestly hadn't had that ever in her life, but this wasn't a relationship and Percy deserved to have the hook up relationship he wanted.

Really, she didn't want to bother him any more than she did. He physically bathed her tonight, and as much as her whole body now craved his comforting touch, she didn't want to be an even greater bother.

"I think I'm just going to go," she jabbed her thing toward the door. Percy blinked, then nodded slowly.

"Okay."

"Yeah, I have an early morning."

So did he.

"Yeah so do I."

She bit her lip. "I mean, I have an exam tomorrow and need to study and - yeah. Bye. Thanks for...uh - yeah."

"Bye Annabeth," Percy said distantly, like his heart wasn't really in it. He watched her go without a word, and when she was out the door, she felt like sprinting. And she did. She sprinted the two blocks home cursing the fuck out of her life because she wasn't an awkward person, and that was the most awkward scene of her life.

Whatever. Shit would go on.

. . .

Shit did not go on.

Well, it did, but it was even shittier than that embarrassing scene.

Annabeth fell over the couch, knocking into Piper, making the girl nearly spill her drink. Jason jumped as the wine fell onto his white socks.

"What the fuck am I supposed to do?" Annabeth groaned. "It's been a month!"

Piper sighed heavily into her wine glass, so Annabeth decided to wiggle around on the couch until she was lying in Piper's lap, feet in Jason's. "Like. The sex was mind blowing. He fucking tied me up! I just - I don't get it. Why would he not want more of that?"

She looked at Jason, who was eying her suspiciously. So she blurted. "I'm not desperate, if that's what you're thinking. Because I'm not. I just like sex. A lot. I like sex a lot, and he's the best I've ever had and he's ruined it for anyone else, and that would have been bad enough as it is, but now he doesn't even want sex anymore!"

Piper glanced wearily at Jason. "She rambles when she's drunk. I'm sorry."

Jason chuckled, sipping on his water. It was four weeks before the week of conference, and it was their only off day tomorrow, so they were drinking. Jason, of course, didn't want to risk it, so he stuck with water. Annabeth wondered if that had been a good idea.

"Come on. You must know something, Jason." His cheeks were red, so she knew she hit the jackpot. "Spillll. Ijust wanna reason. I hate not knowing things."

With a huff, she said, "I know he had a girl over for dinner last night. They didn't sleep together or anything, but it was a date."

Hmm. A date. She found that grating on her nerves. She was also mildly impressed with this girl to have warranted a date from Percy.

"Oh. Sucks," she muttered, staring into her wine glass that seemed to empty. So she refilled it and worked on that while Piper flirted with Jason. Once that glass was empty, a thought hit her. "What if he puts her in a subspace?"

"Annabeth?" Jason asked as if she'd just spoken in a foreign language.

She looked up at them with embarrassing sadness. Her eyes were burning with unshed tears, and her throat felt like someone was gagging her. "What if nobody can ever do that to me again? Fuck. Why doesn't he want me on a date? I just - we never - I don't know why. I - is it because I'm a slow swimmer? Oh gods, it is, isn't it?"

Annabeth clutched at her head, the thoughts and theories swimming around her brain without permission. Jason's eyes widened, and Piper hurriedly moved to wrap an arm around her, and it was then that she began to cry.

"No, Annabeth, no!" Jason rushed out. "I - I don't know why you never dated. I think he just assumed you didn't want to, you know? Plus he just got out of something with that crazy girl Rachel…you said you've only done hook ups, right? Isn't that what you wanted?"

Piper sent him a glare as a sob ripped through her throat.

Annabeth wiped at her nose, nearly stabbing herself in the eye in the process. "Y-yeah. But I liked hanging out more. We don't even hang out anymore. Why can't we do both? Or at least oneeee."

Jason's arm now wrapped around her shoulders as she cried into Piper's shoulder.

"Babe, just text him. You never texted him after that night you came back," Piper said softly, voice easing Annabeth's sobs. "Maybe tell him how you feel."

"I basically did that night! That's why he doesn't want me, I bet. I told him he was one of the rare guys I would consider dating and then I scared him off! I didn't mean I wanted to! He - he needs to know that."

"So talk to him," Piper insisted, rubbing circles on her back in a fashion too similar to Percy. "And more than a simple hello at workouts."

"Can't," she groaned. "I can't. I bug him too much anyways. He didn't want me to stay the other night, you know? Got too tired of taking care of me after. Took all the covers from him, too, I bet."

"He never complained about having you over," Jason said. "I think he liked having someone to cuddle with."

That just sent another wave memories rushing through her mind. All the cuddling and light kisses and gentle touches and innuendoes and whispered nothings and deep talks. Gods, time with him was the best, and now it was probably going to be over.

"Nonono. He's going professional next year. Gonna be an Olympian. Of course he'd want someone better," Annabeth slurred as tears ran down her face.

Piper chastised her. "Annabeth, shut up. Nobody gets better than you. Myself included." Piper looked apologetically at Jason. "She never gets like this over boys. Then again, she hardly ever cries. This has happened two times before, both of them when she was drunk. Not too surprising, but still."

"It's not over Percy!" Annabeth shouted.

"Yes, it is," Piper said.

"Annabeth?" Jason asked, hand on her arm. "You don't have to admit it to us, but...is it possible that you might have feelings for Percy?"

Annabeth's chest felt cold all of a sudden. That was impossible. "No. I don't get feelings for guys. It's my problem." Except, wasn't this what feelings were? Hadn't she been craving to feel this moved by someone before? Sure, she thought she was upset over lack of sex with him, but then again, she couldn't stop think about the forehead kisses and bear hugs and hair brushes and sweet words of endearment. And his smile in the mornings somehow made workouts worth it. Without deep conversations with Percy for a month, she found herself crawling out of her mind.

"Oh gods," she whispered like she'd just committed the biggest sin of her life. Her eyes popped open and she looked at Piper, desperate for help. "I think I have feelings for Percy."

And then she continued to cry a little more. They comforted her with giggles they tried to hide. "It'll be okay, Annabeth," Piper laughed. "It happens to all of us, okay? This is good. Now we know you're not completely heartless."

"I don't want to have feelings for him. He doesn't have feelings for me," Annabeth whimpered into Piper's good smelling skin.

"You don't know that," Piper insisted, and that made Annabeth sit up, nearly nailing Jason in the chin.

"What have I always told you, Piper? If a guy wants something, he does something about it. Simple. Percy hasn't asked to do anything with me in a month."

Jason looked at Annabeth in shock, as if she'd just shared life's secret. Annabeth ignored him. "I need more wine. Well, wine in general."

"Why don't we call it a night?" Piper suggested, taking the bottle from her hands. "We can talk about this tomorrow."

She wanted to argue, but her world was blurry and she also wanted the spinning to slow. "Okay."

Piper helped Annabeth to her feet, and they were headed to her bedroom when Jason stood and said, "Piper. Wait."

He jogged to face them, staring at Piper like she was the only thing left on earth he cared about. He stepped closer to her, to the point that Annabeth stumbled into the nearby wall.

"Can I do something about something?" Jason asked with a tinge of impatience.

"Uh - okay," Piper with laughter, but it stopped when Jason stepped so close they became one in Annabeth's eyes. And then, Jason bent down and kissed her.

"I fucking hate you two."

Annabeth promptly shut her door and went to bed, announcing to her other pillow that she hated it too for smelling like Percy from the two months ago he for once came over to her place.

. . .

The next morning, Jason found her vomiting into the toilet. It burned her throat more than usual, but it might have been for the fact that she was now sober and vomiting, a rare sight for Annabeth Chase. Normally, she vomited the night of, but then again, a lot about last night was different.

"I didn't realize you drank that much," Jason set a cup of water by her side, and she sat back on the ground.

"I didn't either," Annabeth found that her stomach had finally settled. "I never fucking cry. I'm sorry."

Jason hesitated before settling on the floor with his back against their bathtub. Piper was in the kitchen frying up what smelled like eggs.

"Yeah. About last night...are you okay?" Jason asked. Annabeth chugged the water before answering, wishing she never had to have these thoughts or conversation.

"I guess," she shrugged. "Not much I can do about it, so I'll just have to get over it. Like a normal girl. Damn. I feel basic."

Jason snorted. "Everyone deals with unrequited feelings at sometimes, Annabeth," he nodded. "But I'd suggest talking to Percy. He's oblivious, but he's blunt. It might help."

She debated the possibility for a moment, but all she saw that doing was ruining their friendly behavior towards one another. She saw Percy avoiding her like the plague in order for her to move on. She saw them never having an actual conversation again. She saw him leaving this year and never speaking to her again, Annabeth just falling back onto one of his soon-to-be thousands of fans.

"Nah," she said finally. "I'll be fine. Seriously, it's not a big deal."

"Okayy," Jason said, voice rising with uncertainty. "Piper's cooking. Come in when you feel better."

"I do now," she said, following him into the kitchen. Eying the food laid out before her, she found her stomach still not ready to eat. "Fuck alcohol, dude."

"Agreed," Piper giggled.

Annabeth noticed the way Jason greeted her by wrapping an arm around her waist and pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead. She also noticed that he was still here in general, and that Piper was in his shirt.

Well, it was about time for them to get together.

* * *

**A/N: OH MY GODSSSS. You guys left some of the best reviews everrr. I have to give a special thanks to Huricain bc when you said 'idk why you'd be worried about anyone not reading your stories' that hit me! Thank you so much! That means so much more than you can imagine! I love to hear your all's support and feedback! Pleaseee keep it up! **

**Soon, we'll get to the good stuff ;) This has become a very long story in what started out as a 4 at most chapter story. I'm really enjoying it, though, and I really think you guys will! **

**If I get such good feedback again, I'll definitely try to post the next part in the next few days! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

* * *

The line between love and hate was very thin, Annabeth soon found out. Her feelings quickly turned into ones of hatred. Everything Percy did seemed to piss her off. She never let it show, but oh, she cursed him out in her head, that was for sure.

"You want the 100 pounds?" Percy asked despite having seen her deadlift that dumbbell earlier. He was already pulling it off the rack to her bench.

"I can get it," Annabeth said shortly, grabbing it from his hands sharply. Percy smiled tightly and went on his way.

It was shit like that. He tried to be nice and friendly, as if they hadn't spent numerous nights together, as if he hadn't seen Annabeth into a whole other realm of consciousness.

They found themselves beside each other during core at the end of the day. Annabeth sat on Piper's feet on the bench while Percy sat on Jason's. They were doing combat core.

"I watched the Ted Bundy documentary," Percy said to Annabeth early. "You should really watch it. It's right up your alley."

Her nerves tended. She hated that he knew what she would like. Every instinct in her body wanted to say that it didn't interest her, but everyone knew it did.

"Thanks. If I ever get the time, I will. It was good?"

Percy nodded as Jason audibly groaned, pushing for more sit-ups. "Really good. And accurate, so you'd like it."

She didn't have anything else to say, so she smiled tightly, as painfully as that was. "Thanks." All she could think about was the way his hands gripped Jason's calves, and how she wished that was her underneath him. Pain laced through her as he nudged Jason, helping him up. He whispered something secretive, eyes shooting across the room to the cheer team as they filed in for their workouts. Calypso waved at him, and Annabeth's blood boiled.

"Ow!" Piper jerked her legs, causing Annabeth to fall to the floor. When she looked over, Piper was sitting up, gripping her legs that had red marks from Annabeth's hands and half crescent lines of blood from, presumably, her nails.

"Oh gods, I'm sorry, Piper," Annabeth said, holding her head. Jason was already helping Piper up, and part of her hoped Percy would do the same. Instead, he was making a goofy face at Calypso, a true greek goddess on her own. Maybe that's why Percy was interested in her. Percy had the body of a Greek god, and Calypso one of a Greek goddess, so it only made sense.

"It's fine," she hissed, rubbing her ankles. Jason glanced at her, and for the briefest moment, pity filled his gaze. Then he extended a hand to help Annabeth to her feet, but she disregarded him and got up on her own. "Come on. Stop hurting yourself."

She promptly dragged her by the shoulder to go stretch out. Sticking to Piper's advice, Annabeth avoiding looking at Percy again.

. . .

It slowly worked.

She focused on school and swimming. It was perfect timing to move on from somebody, really. Her school was giving her overwhelming workload. She had a new design for a different style house due weekly. She had to study for an exam coming up in her intro architecture class. She had to finish applications to get into a master's program. She could choose to finish her bachelors in architecture, but about a year ago she decided she wanted to do the master's program. She didn't want there to be anything she couldn't design. She was only in her junior year now, but she wanted to get a head start so she could add shadowing for the program as well next year in her class schedule.

In the midst of all of that, she also had swimming. They left for conference in three weeks. They would be missing a week of school, so Annabeth was desperately trying to finish work ahead of time and take an exam in another class ahead of schedule.

There truly was no time to even think about Percy. They saw each other at workouts, and it no longer became an issue. He'd strike up a conversation about swimming strategies with her, or about their swordsmanship class they were taking together, and Annabeth had no trouble answering him and then refocusing on her workout.

She really tried pushing harder in workouts these days. Annabeth was in good shape, but it didn't mean she couldn't work to make her butt bigger. So she added heavier weights on her squats and deadlifts, and honestly, she felt great about it. She'd leave every workout feeling slightly lightheaded but happy with herself.

Today was one of those days. Reyna and she were alternating squats now that she'd gone past the weight Piper used. They were on their fifth and final set, and Annabeth had finished spotting Reyna.

"Alright Chase. Let's get it," Reyna rubbed her shoulders. A few heads turned to watch them. It was uncommon for any of the girls to reach into this weight, but they'd done it. The girls paid them close attention, and sometimes the guys did as well. Annabeth didn't care. She truly didn't care who watched her. She was doing something impressive. She was proud of herself and didn't care who else recognized it.

The goal was to get eight reps, but after the first two, Annabeth seriously doubted she'd reach it. "Don't give up. You've got it." Then again, Reyna had been doing this for longer. Annabeth didn't know her limits, so she was trusting on Reyna to help her find them. They also had a personal trainer watching them from behind her for form.

It was on her fifth squat that she felt a wave of sudden exhaustion. On her sixth, she could barely get back up, body shaking. "I don't -,"

"Come on! One more!"

One more. She could do one more.

Except she couldn't.

When she made it to the bottom and started pushing up, it was slow, and with every half second she spent exhausting herself, black spots danced across her vision, and then she paused altogether.

"Annabeth?"

She collapsed.

Annabeth fell back into Reyna, but so did the bar. She wasn't sure what happened exactly because her vision went completely black.

It only lasted five minutes, and she was breathing the whole time, they said.

"Oh fuck, my head," Annabeth groaned, hand going to the back of her head where there was pulsing pain. She blinked and focused on the people above her.

It was two of the trainers, along with Chiron and Will Solace.

"Reyna caught the bar before it hit her, but then your head slammed into it when you fell," said one of the trainers.

"Can you see my fingers?" Will said, hovering over her while moving one finger in front of her eyes. With a groan, she nodded and slapped his hand away from her face. "That's a good sign. Maybe we should do a concussion test on her," Will worried.

"I'm fine," Annabeth pushed herself to a sitting position. "I just pushed myself too heavy on the squats."

"At least get an ice pack for her head then," Will fretted. Chiron sent him a look. "I'm worried! The bar hit her head where her vision center is located. That's very important!"

"Yes, I know," Chiron sighed at his pre-med major. "Go finish your sets, Solace."

"But my partner already finished," he said.

Chiron seemed at close to biting his head off as Annabeth was. "Then find another. Look. Nico is behind. Work with him."

"He hates me!" Will protested, but Chiron was an immovable force. So Will sighed and nodded. "Eat a lot of carbs and drink water. Or Gatorade for the electrolytes. Alright?"

"Thank you, Will. That's exactly what we were going to tell her," said one of the trainers impatiently. Annabeth nodded lightly, taking the ice pack somebody offered her and quickly putting it on the back of her head.

"Hey Nico! Let's squat together!"

"Go fuck yourself, Solace."

"That's the spirit!"

Annabeth snorted. "That wasn't a smart move," she commented, gesturing to the already bickering boys by a free weight machine. Chiron smiled gleefully, as if he knew something she did not.

"Did you eat before workouts today?" Chiron asked, offering a banana for her to take.

"It's 5 in the morning. Of course not."

He hid his mirth in a sigh. "Well, maybe try eating something light beforehand. And not pushing so hard. You girls already have the muscle needed to swim well."

She shrugged. "Can't hurt to add more power."

He sent her a look. "Obviously it can. You and others."

Annabeth paled. "Is Reyna okay?"

"She's fine. No harm done, this time. Just take it easier, okay? I'll talk to your coach. You should probably skip practice today."

Annabeth protested, but he didn't seem to be able to change his mind. So she sat out at practice on the sidelines, loathing her stupid self for pushing too hard. She felt fine now. She had as much energy as she normally did after a workout lately. Granted, maybe he had a point about toning it down. She was wearing herself out lately. She'd need all the energy she could muster for conference in three weeks.

Watching the guys climb out of the water for a break, she seriously hoped she hadn't been pushing herself so hard because of him.

Shaking the thought out of her head, Annabeth assured herself that wasn't the case. Nevertheless, she was still pouting when they guys made it over to her.

"What have we got for snacks today?" Will Solace asked her with a too cheerful smile on his glowing face.

"My dick," she deadpanned, challenging him to comment further.

"I'm not sure he wants yours, but he might want Nico's," Ethan Nakamura snickered, elbowing one of his friends like it was the funniest comments in the world. Will's face turned an instant shade of red, and he straightened, head hanging slightly as he walked around Annabeth and grabbed whatever nutritional bar Chiron was providing for them today. Nico, standing directly behind Ethan, was as stiff as a board He blatantly stared after Will, like the situation took him by total surprise.

The guys sat around her on the benches while she stared after the girls, who were beginning to do their specialized strokes. She should have been out there.

"Hey, you okay? That looked nasty." Percy's gruff voice made Annabeth jump. She hadn't been expecting him to ask after her. Granted, he'd stopped talking to Calypso at workouts, mainly because Leo was dating her now, but regardless, she didn't figure he'd care much at all.

"I'm fine," she hissed. "It's stupid. I feel fine."

"Really? You look kind of pale." Percy then poked her cheek with his finger. Annabeth whipped around to glare at him, so he pulled his hands away. "Kidding. Excited for conference?"

Annabeth nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to fall behind in school, so I better fucking do well."

Percy snorted. "You will. Think you could win? I know as a team you're lacking in the breast stroke, but damn, your freestyle is killer."

Annabeth looked at him wearily. Percy always had been an optimist. It was easy for him considering he was literally the best in the nation. Or one of them. Their men's team was the elite of the elites. They'd make it to nationals with no problem. You'd think the same of their girls' team, but if they made it to nationals, Annabeth would be impressed. "We have a chance. If Piper can swim like she has been in practice, and it Drew gets her head out of her ass and starts swimming like she did when we recruited her, then I'd say we might make it to nationals. We'll definitely make it to regionals."

"What about you? Like individually?"

Annabeth smiled. "I won't make it far. My goal is to win conference, and place in regionals. Nationals would be out of the question," she admitted. Percy frowned sadly, like the news was devastating. "It's okay, you know. I have other things riding for me than swim."

"Yeah, with a brain like yours, it'd be a crime to waste it in the water," Percy slung an arm around her shoulders. He smelled like chlorine and a faint hint of deodorant that made her lips curl upward. She quickly shoved him off.

"Thanks, Percy," Annabeth said, and she genuinely meant that.

"So why'd you pass out?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes with affection this time. She lightly punched his shoulder. "Because I went too hard. Something you should try."

Percy scoffed, jumping to his feet and gesturing at his perfect six pack of abs. He hadn't shaved for conference yet, a tradition both teams partook in, so his happy trail was as tantalizing as ever. An overwhelming urge to mount him took over Annabeth, and she had to physically dig her nails into her palms to restrain herself. "Is this not enough for you? Wow, Chase. You're harder to please than I thought!"

Annabeth was giggling her head off, and Percy quickly joined in despite the many eyes on them. The half of the team not currently swimming made their way over to grab their snack before starting in on their specific style of swim. Percy started a conversation with a disgruntled Nico, but he remained seated next to Annabeth. His heat was a little much considering the humidity of the pool area was already causing her to sweat, but she didn't mention it.

Then, Chiron blew his whistle and they were all off. Annabeth settled back into her solitude, resigning herself to an hour of watching her team swim without her, but just as she was getting comfy, Percy said, "Bye Annabeth," causing her to jump out of her skin at his close contact. His lips had been pressed right against her ear.

"Annabeth Chase."

The booming voice made her jump higher than Percy's probably ever could. She fell off the bench, staring with wide eyes at the menacing woman strutting across the pool floor in heels.

It was Lupa. It was their head coach Lupa who hardly ever showed her face at their first practice. It was Lupa, the scariest woman alive.

On shaky legs, Annabeth stood. "Yes, Coach?"

"Would you join me in my office, please? I'd like to discuss your incidence."

There was a jerked nod, and then she was following the sound of her heels moving against the tile floor, down the hall and finally to her office. There was a comfortable couch in front of her desk, but Annabeth did not dare to sit without being told to do so.

"Take a seat. We wouldn't want another fainting incidence," Lupa said in a snarky manner, voice dripping with aggravation. Annabeth sat, and she was sure Lupa never planned to sit. Instead, she walked a slow line in front of her desk and back. "So. You fainted. Why?"

Annabeth cleared her throat, straightening up before speaking. "It was most likely a combination of too much weight and lack of food and sleep beforehand. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

Lupa nodded slowly because she clearly already knew this answer. Annabeth was here for another reason. She just hadn't figured it out yet.

"Annabeth, only half of your recent times have shown the strain on your body, and I applaud you for that. However, two days before we leave for conference, an incidence like this would normally motivate our physicians to put you through a work up," Lupa began. Annabeth's brain was reeling with where the 'but' was going to lead to. Did she honestly think she'd be stupid enough to be using drugs? Surely not...

"Coach, I'm not sure what the problem is. I'll go through a work up if you want. I'll pass all the tests. I'm fine with that," Annabeth insisted. She'd do anything to leave the office still in the good graces of Lupa.

Lupa sighed in a way similar to Annabeth's mother when Annabeth wasn't catching on to something fast enough. It made a rush of shame run through her, cheeks reddening suddenly.

"Annabeth, I trust you. I trust your word means a lot. I trust you know that if we find that you lie to me when you say you are drug free, then you won't just be expelled from this school, but that the odds of you getting into any other for purely academics is low. Do you understand?"

Annabeth blinked in confusion. "Yes, of course, but I consent to a drug scree-,"

"I do not want a blood test!" Lupa slammed her hand on the desk suddenly, making Annabeth flinch back in shock. Lupa's cold, dark eyes stared at her, pulling out all her secrets and making Annabeth search through them. "If you compete on drugs, we get penalized whether or not we knew in advance. However, if you compete with a medical condition that has arose since your latest physical, we do not get penalized. If we know about an illness, we cannot let you compete. Your health comes first, of course, but if you feel as fine as you seem to be, then I will take your word that you are drug free and we can screen you directly after."

Annabeth gulped. In the span of a second, her brain rattled off possibilities of what Lupa could possibly be thinking of.

And then it hit her as if she'd jumped into a pool of ice water.

"Y-Yes, Coach. I give you my word I am clean."

Lupa breathed out deeply, finally taking a seat behind the desk. "Good. That is all."

Shaking once again, Annabeth stood to leave.

"Annabeth?" Lupa said. "You are a strong woman. That fear in your eyes is unnecessary."

"Yes, Coach. Thank you."

Those may have been the most uplifting words Lupa had ever said.

* * *

**A/N: So this is really fun. As I'm posting these parts, I read them after they're posted along with you all. Unfortunately, that means they're not proofred until after they're posted but...logistics!**

**You all are such awesome reviewers! I love your feed back so much! You are so, so kind. It really gives me a confidence boost and makes me want to write more! And as to the detailed sex we missed out on...just wait ;) **

**Let me know what you all think! i know this was a little short, so I'll try to make the next one longer! Leave me your love and reactions pleaseeee!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Part 4**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

* * *

Annabeth felt good about one thing, and that was her ability to buy it on her own. She felt that took Lupa's advise about her inner strength on its own. Annabeth had no qualms about pacing the room while clutching her head, refusing to look at them despite her timer going off, yelling at Piper when she banged on the door, whining about having to pee immediately after sex.

If only that was Annabeth's only issue pertaining to sex.

Annabeth yanked open the door, wrapped her hand around Piper's wrist, and yanked her inside. There was one short squeal before Annabeth clamped a hand over her mouth.

"Shut up," she hissed, shoving Piper near the toilet while Annabeth went back to pacing. Reluctantly, and looking at Annabeth as if she were seconds away from jumping out the window and flying away, Piper sat on the toilet and peed.

"A-,"

"Piper," Annabeth said, voice cracking immediately. She clamped a hand over her mouth, not trusting herself to speak. Instead, she pointed to the sink.

"What? Is there a spider?" Piper scoffed, but her normal sarcasm wasn't all there. "Annabeth, what's wrong?"

Again, she pointed into the sink.

Piper followed her gaze, reluctantly standing and looking into the sink as well. She didn't have any type of reaction for a minute straight. Then, she put her hands on her hips and turned expectantly to Annabeth, who was now chewing her fingers down to nibs.

"Well, that doesn't tell me much, does it? Doubt it told you much, either, when they're all turned over like that," Piper huffed.

Annabeth both wanted to smack her and kiss her. Her inability to let something get too serious was both a gift and a curse. Nervously snorting, Annabeth shuffled to the edge of the sink as well.

"Right," she breathed, and then she reached down and turned over the three sticks.

Three positive marks stared back at her.

"Shit," Piper breathed. "Okay. Well. Um."

_Fuck._

"We have options." Piper slung an arm around her shoulders. "And yes it's a we. I'm in this with you every step of the way."

_Fuck._

"There's abortion. There's adoption. There's having it, obviously. Um, what else? Are there others? Like maybe your parents could raise it?"

_Fuck._

"Except they're kind of old. And divorced. And your mom's a pushy bitch," Piper listed on her hands. "Plus, I don't think she'd be willing to look after another kid. And your brothers already drive your dad off the walls." Piper continued rambling on about Annabeth's home life until, finally, her body worked.

"Fuck."

"Ah! She speaks!" Piper laughed in a high-pitched manner that was definitely not her own. "Okay. I'm going to send Jason home, and then we'll talk. In the meantime, work on getting out of the bathroom, yeah? Good. Break."

Piper practically ran out of the bathroom. Annabeth sat down, back against the bathtub, and held her head in her hands. She focused on taking deep breaths. This was okay. It had to be okay. She was pregnant. What did that mean exactly?

Her head was spinning, and for a moment, she thought she was going to pass out. This couldn't be happening to her. It was some cruel joke. She was a division 1 athlete. More importantly, she was a near 4.0 student. She was smart. She knew how to prevent these kinds of things!

But in the back of her mind, she knew she was taking a risk if she forgot her pill. She knew. She just hoped the science and his tendency to _sometimes _pull out (it was one of the few physical abilities he was horrible at) would back each other up. Truthfully, deep down, she had felt like she was invincible. She felt like nothing could stop her, not really. She didn't need a boyfriend. She didn't need a family. She didn't need protection. Because she was Annabeth Chase. She was intelligent and a great swimmer and sort of fun and it never mattered before because she'd worked through every problem in her life on her own.

Now, working through this problem was impossible.

"Fuck me. Fuck me. Fuck me," she groaned, tears blurring her vision. She pressed her palms into her eyes, trying to stop the waves of emotions rushing through her.

She was growing a child inside of her right now. That thought made her shudder. She clutched her stomach, as if she could feel the alien lifeform inside her. It was almost like she had a bug crawling under her skin. She wanted it out and she wanted it dead.

But then she remembered what this really meant. It meant she was having a baby. A baby was something so much more than a growing alien inside of her. It was half of her, and it was half of Percy, and it would probably be the greatest thing on the planet if she could just shake the feeling that there was a foreign object running through her veins.

"Piperrr," she called, hands tangling in her hair. She wanted that thought out. She didn't want to feel disgusted at this news. She also didn't want to feel overjoyed. Honestly, Annabeth just wished she didn't have to face this news. Why did she have to? It was such a challenging dilemma, and it was honestly unfair to put her in this situation.

Oh right. She'd had sex.

But she was on birth control!

"Coming! Oh, get off the ground. There's a perfectly comfortable couch right over there," she said with her hands on her hips. The bathtub was cold, but she felt no urge to move. If she moved, it meant this was all real. It meant it wasn't just a dream. One look into Annabeth's swimming eyes took the confidence right out of Piper's voice. "You know, bathrooms are comfy, too."

"Piper, I'm on the pill. The chances are so fucking low," Annabeth groaned. Piper wrapped an arm around her shoulders, both of taking deep breaths.

"I know," she breathed. "But there is still a chance. Did he finish inside you?"

Annabeth felt stupid. She buried her head into Piper's shoulder. "A few times," she choked on her words. "I never missed. I thought I'd be fine."

Piper's hands rubbed at her shoulders. It was more comforting than Annabeth had ever imagined. "Except…weren't you late getting your new pack this month."

Annabeth groaned. "Yeah, but we haven't had sex since then."

"What about before?"

She froze. "Shit. I – I didn't think…the last time we had sex…was the last day of my pack. The morning after my period ended. But it was still the last day of the pill – well, the placebo pill. Do you think…? I didn't get another pill for three days…"

"Clearly, I more than think," Piper sighed, pulling Annabeth so her legs draped over Piper's lap, essentially holding her like a child. Annabeth felt silly in that position. How could she be a child when she was _carrying one_?

"First off. Let's go over all the options here."

"Piper," Annabeth groaned, already sure of one option she could not do for the life of her.

"Shush! I cannot let you ignore an option here. We have the three A's-,"

"Oh my gods," Annabeth snorted, wiping at her runny nose. Only Piper could manage to give her enough comic relief to not hyperventilate.

"Abortion. Adoption. And acceptance."

Annabeth took a deep breath. "I can't do abortion. I just - I can't." Annabeth was all for pro choice for women and their bodies, but when it came to herself, she knew she couldn't stomach it. She'd watched videos before. It was horrifying. And there was no way she could stand doing that to her child - to half of her.

"Then either way, you'll be carrying the baby to full term. Are you prepared to do that?"

Annabeth blinked away tears. The idea of going through nine months of a forfeit body growing inside her seemed impossible. Again, this wasn't her. She couldn't be pregnant. But the sticks and symptoms proved it.

"Yeah." She shuddered.

"Adopt-,"

"No."

Piper blinked. She stared at Annabeth like she was a new person, and Annabeth understood why. They'd talked about this before. For best friends, it always comes up. And Annabeth, being the feminist she was, flippantly said she'd probably abort the pregnancy, or at the least give it up for adoption. She'd had too bright of a future ahead of her and no funds to manage it all.

But now that it was real...the idea of doing either of those things made her physically sick again.

"The only other option is...keep it," Piper whispered like it was a trade secret. Tears fell again from Annabeth's eyes as she turned to face Piper.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure? Tell me you're sure. I could talk you into either if you want."

"I'm sure," she rasped. "I can't do it. I can't. It's mine."

Piper pursed her lips, looking like she wanted to say something, but then she thought better of it. "Alright. Let's get you to a doctor then. I personally suggest Apollo-,"

"No."

"What?"

"We leave in two days. I have time to finish the season. Then, I promise I'll see a doctor and all that shit."

Piper seemed hesitant, but she relented. "As long as you promise to the day after. Prenatal vitamins are very important."

Annabeth snorted. "Trust me, Lupa's going to be sicking a doctor on me, I'm sure."

"What do you mean?"

Annabeth waved a hand. "She guessed. Basically, she said she didn't want to run a blood test before because if they found out, they couldn't let me compete."

Piper scowled. "No. Pregnant athletes can compete during the early stages unless physical harm could come to the fetus. We swim. You'd be fine."

Annabeth stiffened. "Then…she really thought I had developed a medical condition?" Piper shrugged. "Wow. I guess I am still smarter than her then."

"Fuck yeah, you are," Piper grinned as she stood, offering Annabeth a hand. Reluctantly, she let herself get pulled to her feet. "I'll cook. Er, any smells you want to avoid?"

"Just not eggs," Annabeth muttered, remembering vomiting in the toilet not too long ago because of it. She was honestly shocked she hadn't had more stomach issues. Ironically, the thought that she was lucky bounced through her head. Lucky. Sure. She settled herself on the countertop and watched meekly as Piper danced around the kitchen. "You don't think that one night of drinking would hurt…it, do you?"

Piper shrugged. "I'm not sure, but I'm sure there are a lot of pregnant women who don't realize it and drink more than you. It was one night."

That didn't make her feel any better. Ice formed around her heart, and the urge to cry hit her hard again. She was already being a horrible mother.

"Hey, stop it. You can't change the past. It wasn't your fault. Focus on what's next. So…what's next?"

Annabeth groaned. "I don't fucking know. I had three years of school left and that was assuming I got into the master's program straight away. Now…there's no way I can do that. I'll be lucky to even graduate."

It was like traveling on a speed boat, all smooth sailing, until she hit the open water and _nothing _seemed remotely possible anymore. Nothing was possible. She couldn't participate in an extremely vigorous master's program as a single parent. She was already in over her head in student loans, and there was no way she could pay for babysitting while at it.

"Annabeth, I think you're jumping ahead here," Piper said, glancing over the steam coming from the pan. "The next step is to tell Percy."

Annabeth almost fell off the counter as laughter took over her body. "Yeah right," she snorted, clutching her churning stomach. "He never has to know, so he never will."

"Annabeth, it's his baby, too."

"Do you really think he'd care? He's going off to be some Olympic superstar, Piper," Annabeth's voice grew rough as she sobered up. Just thinking about Percy made her short and snappy. They were fine, but that did not mean she had to be a fan of him.

"I do."

"You do what?"

"I do think he'd care," Piper said. "I don't know him as well as you, but I know as much as he's an oblivious asshole, he cares for his family and teammates more than any of the guys on there. I've never seen someone be so concerned about their mother before. He'd feel the same way for his child."

That word made Annabeth flinch. She averted her gaze and stared at her dangling feet, mindlessly wondering how long it'd take before she wouldn't be able to see them at all. "I don't want his stupid pity, okay? I'm not going to be his tag along baby mama. It's even more pathetic than being an accidental single mother. He probably won't even notice."

Okay. Even she didn't believe that one, but she didn't want to confront anything that Piper just said. She had a point that Percy cared so much about his family – it was one of his shining qualities that drew Annabeth in. The delusional side of her often thought he once cared for her health and safety, too.

"You're one stubborn girl," Piper sighed. "It's not pathetic, either – it's brave. But look, I won't tell him, but when he asks - and he will ask – I'm not lying."

Annabeth glared. She knew she couldn't ask Piper to lie for her. Again, she got herself into this mistake. Now she had to deal with it. "I'll do the same, but he won't ask."

Lies. Lies. Lies.

. . .

The golf team had a darty (day party) the next day, and as terrified as Annabeth felt, she went. It'd be weird of her not to go. Nobody on the swim team drank, but they were close with the ever-partying golf team, and they never missed one of their diarties. They were legendary and had so many drinking games it made up for the fact that they couldn't even drink anything other than water.

Piper and Annabeth arrived early despite every attempt from Piper for her to take it easy. Annabeth would then kindly point out that the pregnancy wasn't just going to go away like a cold.

"Annabeth! Piper! You guys made it!"

She didn't want to be excited to hear that voice. It would have been easier to go all day without seeing Percy Jackson at all, but there he was, barreling toward them with open arms. He pulled them both into a hug without hesitation, and when he stepped back, he left his arm dangle over Annabeth's shoulders. Piper tried to hide the shock on her face, but Annabeth didn't.

"Hey, I think Jason's over by the beer. He's making sure none of us drink," Percy snorted, waving around his giant jug of water. It was huge. A lot of the swimmers carried those obnoxious things around to ensure they drank enough water. And Percy carried it with pride.

Piper reluctantly scrambled off after promising to play 'water-pong' with Annabeth in a bit. "I am loving the shades, Jackson," Annabeth said, eyeing the wayfarer ray bans on his face. "Really makes you look like a true surfer."

Percy beamed. "Hey, I always said I hadn't been born in New York, I would have ended up as a professional surfer."

Annabeth couldn't help mockingly rolling her eyes. "You'll just have to settle for a professional swimmer. Damn."

Percy laughed, pinching her side lightly as he took a swig of water. "Sucky, I know." His smile grew excited. "I think Nike is interested. At the last meet, their representative mentioned something about being the next Michael Phelps…can you believe that? They seriously think I could be that big. It's ridiculous."

Annabeth smacked him upside the head. "Well don't go talking them out of it! You seriously don't see how fast you are?"

Percy snorted, running a hand through his hair like he did when he was nervous. "I mean, I do. I just can't imagine pushing _past_him. You know I get nervous. I've screwed up once or twice. Chiron keeps eyeing me like I'll pass out any second now."

Annabeth failed to hide her smile of amusement. She stepped closer, hand resting over his bicep instinctively, which only made her heart constrict painfully. "You're inhuman in the water, Percy. Nothing less. You could do anything in there."

Percy pursed his lips as he considered her words. He was quiet long enough for Annabeth to regret ever stepping closer. Her heart was pounding painfully in her chest, and all she wanted to do was jump him and kiss him until he got his head screwed on right. Unfortunately, that wasn't her place. It would never be her place. And she needed to remember that. He was there for hot hook ups and nothing else.

"I'll remember that, Annabeth," Percy said sincerely. Then, he frowned down at her from his towering height. "Have you ever-?" His words were cut off by some sight behind him. "Oh my gods. Is that Reyna doing a keg stand? No way. I have to see this."

He didn't ask if she was coming. He didn't even blink an eye as he brushed past her, sending her stumbling slightly. More people came rushing in that same general direction, and Annabeth's stomach sunk.

She glanced down at her hidden stomach and wasn't that upset. Honestly, she was grateful he did such a thing. For a second, she'd almost fallen back into his trap. She couldn't afford to do that, not anymore, not when he happiness correlated to her babies' happiness and wellbeing. She refused to bring a child into the world in which she let her emotions get tugged around helplessly. That was never who she was, and just because Percy somehow fenagled his way into her heart did not mean she was going to change. She'd get over him and be the independent, brave, single mom her child could look up to.

Annabeth swore on it.

. . .

Conference lasted a week long. It was a week's worth of school she struggled to catch up during the nights despite everyone else going out. Nobody actually drank, but the teams did tend to meet up, hang out, and generally get to know each other. Annabeth was going to do that each night, but she told Piper she needed to catch up on her school work. It wasn't a total lie.

The thing was, it was Wednesday night and she was already through Friday's work. The only thing she could possibly do was simply study for an exam.

Her real reason for staying in had to do with the fact that her stomach wouldn't stop rolling. She felt like she was going to puke constantly even though nothing came up. Annabeth was tempted to fry eggs just to trigger some 'morning' sickness. Moreover, she was beginning to feel tired. There was no reason for it, other than the rush of hormones she knew was running through her body, but she was terrified it might alter her swimming this week. She swam fine today, even if it did exhaust her. Luckily, she shared a room with Piper, so her frequent trips to the bathroom – for peeing or to vomit – did not seem odd.

The next morning, her fatigue hadn't disappeared. Today was her last day. They had the lead, which was awesome in itself, but individually, she was just slightly behind. Today was her last day of freestyle, and then it was smooth sailing. Until she had to find a way to swim at regionals in two weeks, but that was another matter.

Annabeth eyed the crowd as she jumped behind the line of coaches and timers watching Breast Stroke finals proceed. The guys swam in the morning today. Percy, of course, won by a full second and a half. Their team had one more event tomorrow morning, but they were almost too far ahead to even consider losing.

Of course, their entire team and their parents were watching. Annabeth saw Percy sitting with his mother in the closest section they could get. Flushing, Annabeth focused back on her swim. She didn't want to think about that sweet Sally Jackson and her amazing hugs. Annabeth met her at a few of the meets last year, back when Annabeth and Percy were just simple friends without any of these bullshit complications. Hell, even Percy's girlfriend liked Annabeth. The girl was controlling and unhealthy, but she was sweet. Things last year were fine.

Now, they were far from fine.

Annabeth did not want to think about Sally missing out on a chance to be a grandmother. Instead, her eyes glued back on the water. She moved her body about, going through the motions over and over until she was sure there was no way she was remotely tight anywhere.

When she stood on the podium, her heart leapt so far into her throat she worried she'd pass out. Nerves never did truly hit her until she was seconds away from starting, until it was too late to do anything about them. Her head was in a rush. Gods, was there a way she could possibly do this?

And then, her eyes scanned the crowd and landed on Percy's calming, sea-green eyes.

They were beaming with excitement and something else. For now, she'd let herself think it was pride. She'd let that give her the final push.

The starting position buzzer went off, and like it was second nature, she crouched down, and then the start buzzer went off, and she leapt into the water in milliseconds.

Things were going great. She couldn't tell where she stood compared to her competitors, but she felt great. The rush of adrenaline gave her the energy she needed for the short sprint of a swim. It was the 50-yard freestyle, everyone's favorite to watch. It was down and back in their collegiate sized pool. And she felt like she was flying.

It was at the end stretch that she realized she felt like she was flying because her head was swimming along with her body. Whenever she looked up, it felt a little fuzzy.

But she was so close.

Annabeth pushed her body as hard as it would go, ignoring all the signs telling her to stop, and when she hit the wall, her head nearly collided into the wall as well.

Lupa yanked her out of the water cheering, an occurrence that was rare to ever happen. Quickly glancing around, Annabeth realized why.

She'd just gotten first place.

She was going to regionals as an individual as well.

She did it.

Lupa pulled her up onto the start podium, waving her hand above her head, high and mighty. Annabeth was trying to catch her breath. She had to force a smile onto her lips, though, because her body suddenly became heavy on one side. When all the cheers and gravity became too much, Annabeth yanked her hand out of Lupa's death grasp, desperate to reach the ground where she could get off her feet.

But it was all too much. Her body her lungs her head, everything. Black spots danced across her vision, and before she could move an inch off the podium, her world tilted sideways, going black, and then she was falling.

* * *

**A/N: ah and the twist is finally revealed! did anyone here guess it? what are your thoughts on her pregnancy? good or bad? it was meant to be revealed in the first chapter, butttt I got carried away. anyways...I hope you enjoyed it! **

**Thanks for the love and reminders! pleaseee keep it up!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Part 5**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

Annabeth must have fallen into the water because she was vaguely aware of someone pulling her out of the water and throwing her body onto the pool floor. It was like a collective gasp came from the crowd that ended up being a whisper in her ear. There were so many voices that all blended into one.

She really needed to stop doing this to herself.

"Oh my gods. Why is her blood pressure so low?"

Despite being only semi-lucid, when they turned her on her side, she coughed up the water she'd apparently swallowed.

"Where are her parents?"

Annabeth almost laughed at that. She wanted to, but she felt so weak. Still, her eyes began to flutter open.

"Make room! Let's get her to the locker room. Do we have a stretcher?"

There were many faces mixing together above her, but there was no way she'd miss Percy's gruff voice. "Move! I've got her."

Then, she was being lifted into hot arms that almost burned. Annabeth groaned, trying not to go limp on him. Her energy was slowly coming back to her, luckily, but it wasn't soon enough to stop what she was terrified would happen.

"Get out of my way!" Came Piper's shrill voice. Annabeth silently prayed for Percy to move faster, but he seemed to do the opposite. "Move you idiots! She needs a doctor!" No, no, no. "She's pregnant! Will somebody call a doctor!?"

Percy's arms stiffened impossibly so. For a moment, Annabeth thought he was going to drop her. Instead, Piper's body came hurdling into them, but he kept them upright, cradling Annabeth even closer to his chest.

Everyone around them was murmuring the shocking news around, but Percy's words were the ones to cut through the fog. They always seemed to be.

"She's w-what?"

Then, Lupa growled, "She's _what?"_

Piper groaned, coming to her side and clutching Annabeth's hand in hers. "Fuck. I'm sorry, Annabeth."

Annabeth closed her eyes tightly. "It's - fine," she rasped, throat dry from the chlorine water.

"What's her BP?" Came Will Solace's bold voice. Annabeth finally had enough energy to look around, but the moment she did so, she closed her eyes and hid her face again. Percy stood as stock still as he had earlier. "If she's pregnant and passing out, that could mean the baby is in distress-,"

"Distress?" Percy's voice sounded _panicked, _which was the last thing Annabeth had been expecting.

"-how far along is she?"

"Uh," Percy looked down at Annabeth – she could feel his eyes boring into her closed ones. Tears started forming, and it felt like she couldn't breathe for a whole new reason again.

"Almost two months, we think," Piper's voice was calmer now.

"Oh, good. That's not that bad," Will breathed. "Still. She needs the hospital."

Then, Lupa was pushing through the crowd of the men's and women's teams. She looked pissed. "The medics have a car arranged already. Chiron will assist you, Annabeth. I'll get there as soon as I can."

Annabeth nodded weakly. "Let me down. I can walk," she muttered, refusing to meet Percy's gaze. Lightly she began to push against his hold, but Percy didn't budge. In fact, he tightened his grip.

"No."

"W-what?"

"I'm coming with you?" It sounded like a question for a moment, but then he began walking. "Yeah. I'm coming with you."

"Like hell you are," Annabeth groaned, struggling to get out of his grasp. Just like before, most of her energy was back with her, more or less, but Percy was and always would be stronger.

"Percy, that is very kind of you, but she will be fine," Lupa said in a short tone that offered no room for arguments. She rested a hand on his arm, but Percy jerked away, eyes narrowing in a defensive expression Annabeth had _never _seen him wear before.

"It's my kid she's carrying. So, kindly, fuck – off."

. . .

The ride to the hospital had to have been the most awkward ride of Annabeth Chase's life.

They were crammed into the team van. Chiron was driving, and Percy's _mother _was up front, glancing back every few seconds in concern. Annabeth had said it once and she'd keep saying it. "I'd much rather have Sally back here, please!"

Percy was dead silent the whole time. He didn't even question her about whether his _bold _statement was true. All he did was stare at her. Her face. Her boobs. Her stomach. Gods, he wouldn't stop looking at her stomach.

Then there was the medic, asking her a billion questions.

When was your last period? When did you know? How are the symptoms? When did you last have sex? Was it consensual? Was it protected? Did you stop taking your birth control? Who's the father?

"Could you shut up already?" Annabeth snapped after he started in on the questions a second time around. "You're not the doctor. Just make sure I don't die on the way there – which, by the looks of it, I won't!"

So they rode for five minutes straight without a sound. Every now and then, Percy would open his mouth and look into Annabeth's eyes, but then he'd snap his mouth shut and return to his vigil of staring at her stomach.

When they finally arrived, Chiron checked her in. The ER wasn't busy, and before she could even finish filling out her chart, they called her name. She looked up, unsure what to do from there.

"I'll finish that for you, Annabeth," Chiron said softly. He didn't have any hint of pity in his tone, which was a welcome relief. "I would offer my assistance, but I believe they'll do a physical examination."

Annabeth gulped. She knew she'd have to do this stuff soon. She'd just been hoping she could have another two weeks until regionals were over. There was no way she was prepared for this. Gods, she needed Piper.

"It's okay," she chirped. "I'll be fine on my own. Promise."

Catching wind of their conversation, Percy bolted to her side. "What? No. Annabeth, please let me come back with you. I – I have to be there."

Annabeth scowled. This was not what she'd been prepared for. Percy wasn't supposed to be willing, let alone eager about all of it. He was supposed to hate her. He was supposed to never talk to her again. He was supposed to desert her.

"Percy, dear, maybe not yet," came Sally's voice, her dainty hands softly pulling Percy back from towering over Annabeth. It was a welcome gesture.

"Mom-,"

"Sally can come," Annabeth blurted without thinking. "I mean. If you, uh, want to. You've done this before, so."

Maybe Sally could see the fear in her eyes that she struggled so hard to hide. This was too soon. She had no idea what she was doing. Either way, it was happening, and Sally's smile was unwavering and reassuring as she said, "Of course, Annabeth. Thank you."

"But-,"

Sally wrapped an arm around Annabeth's shoulders, and maybe that softened her more or less unjustified anger, because she sighed. "You can come when we get the ultrasound shit. Deal?"

Percy still looked horribly upset, but he saw she wasn't going to budge, so he pouted his lip and muttered, "Fine."

Then, Sally and the nurse led her back into a private room.

. . .

Annabeth sat on the bed quietly, wringing her hands. Sally stood patiently at her side, not saying anything until the silence became too much.

"You know, I had Percy when I was younger than you," she said, making Annabeth's head snap toward her.

"You did?"

She nodded with a breezy smile. Percy and Sally didn't look too alike. He had her eye shape, and her tan skin tone, but overall, Percy looked more like his father, who'd she'd only seen in pictures.

"I finished high school with a lot of credits, so I was technically a sophomore in college, but I was only nineteen," Sally sighed in the memory. "My parents kicked me out. His dad was struggling just as much as I was. So I dropped out."

"I – I don't know-,"

"No!" Sally admonished with a scared laugh. "That is not what I'm saying at all, Annabeth. You'll be able to graduate. It will be hard, but that's not why I said that. I said that because I know how scary this is."

Annabeth pressed her lips together, looking down at her hands. "Yeah."

"I just want you to know, we'll be here for you, if you'll have us," Sally's hand rubbed a circle on Annabeth's back, and it was a gesture that struck home for her too much. Emotion pricked at her eyes, the heat all rushing to her face.

"I don't need-,"

"But you deserve support, Annabeth," Sally said with her motherly tone, and maybe that was what did Annabeth in because she suddenly turned, eyes misty and wide.

"I do?"

"Yes," Sally said, and she was about to say something else, but then Annabeth flung her arms around Sally's waist and buried her head into her body. Quiet cries emitted from her mouth, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. She'd never had somebody as kind and mature as Sally say that to her. She'd never had somebody to be there for her for the sake of support and only that. It was like lifting the weight of the sky off her shoulders.

When she was finally done crying, she pulled away and wiped at Sally's shirt. "I'm sorry," she hiccupped. "I don't normally cry."

Sally waved a hand. "It's the hormones. Get used to saying that, too. You can blame a lot of things on your hormones."

Annabeth laughed, causing her to have to wipe her nose. When she was finally done, she looked at Sally. "Thank you. I never meant for this to happen, and I'm really not ready for it, but…"

"I know," Sally said with sincerity. "The women never are. Percy on the other hand…"

"What?"

Before Sally could answer, the doctor knocked on the door and entered the room. "Hi, I'm Dr. Gomez. You say you're pregnant and passed out?"

"Yeah. I did once a couple weeks ago, too."

"Have you seen an OBGYN at home?" He asked. Annabeth shook her head, biting her lip. "Have you seen any doctor for a prenatal checkup?" Again, she shook her head. "Alright, why don't we get you started? When was your last period?"

"A month and three weeks ago, I think," Annabeth said. "I took multiple pregnancy tests. All positive."

Dr. Gomez nodded, marking off a few things on his chart. "Alright. I'm going to check your vitals now. Passing out can happen due to the rush of progesterone in your body, but I'd like to get an ultrasound to be safe." Then, he paused. "And have you considered all your options?"

"Yes," Annabeth said, feeling Sally's eyes land heavily on her shoulders. "I'm keeping it."

She could feel the way Sally relaxed, even if she was feet away. He got to work on checking her out. It was nice having Sally there to keep idle conversation with the doctor. Every now and then, she'd throw in how her pregnancy compared. It was oddly comforting, the way she was just there for no reason. It was such a motherly aura it made Annabeth's heart swell.

"Your blood pressure is normal now, but it most likely dropped too low, which caused too little blood flow to your brain. So your body fixed it," he laughed dryly in a nasally voice. "Are you ready for an ultra sound? Because you're so early, we'll need to do a vaginal ultrasound."

"Okay," Annabeth said stiffly. She looked to Sally. "Um, Percy can come back, I guess. If he wants."

Sally smiled gratefully, and she began to leave, but then Annabeth grabbed her wrist. "Wait. You'll come back, too, right?"

"Absolutely," she said, and the pressure in her chest decreased a little. Gods, she hated feeling so needy, but this was a whole other world. This wasn't just her life, either.

A few minutes later, the door was being opened by the doctor with a horribly large machine being pushed in front of him. Annabeth eyed it wearily, but before she could say a thing, Percy half jogged through the door.

"Annabeth!" Percy said.

"Percy!" She mimicked in false excitement. He seemed to have missed her act because soon he was in the chair right beside her and grabbing her hand.

"Are you okay?" Percy asked, again surprising her. She nodded distantly. Sally walked into the room and shut the door, moving to the other side of the bed. "Annabeth, I -,"

"We can save whatever we're about to say for later," Annabeth hissed as she yanked her hand away. This was something for the baby and his parents, not for her, and she didn't want any chance of her emotions confusing the two. "Let's just…see what the doctor has to say."

He nodded curtly. "You're the father, I presume?" Dr. Gomez said as he pulled on gloves. There was a screen on the machine, but the part that scared Annabeth was the large wand the doctor grabbed.

"Yes," Percy said, knee bouncing as it always did when he was excited about something. "I mean, right? Annabeth?"

She sent him a glare. "Obviously."

This was _not_how she expected him to take the news at all

"Alright," he said. "You'll feel some cold gel and a little pressure but nothing more."

Before she could react, he had the wand, covered in gel, pressed against her core. It wasn't painful in the least – their wands were made for stealth – but the shock made her gasp, which then made Percy frown and stand up.

After getting a good look at whatever he was searching for, Percy sat down with a scowl. Annabeth ignored him, eyes focusing on the screen as the doctor maneuvered the wand around.

"Does it feel weird?" Percy asked suddenly because he'd grown bored of watching the screen that displayed nothing but shifting forms of grey.

"No. I don't feel it much," she muttered. "Except this one goes in far."

Percy again stood up, as if he could see better that way. His eyes narrowed at the doctor, who was watching his hand with the wand for a moment before turning back to the screen.

"Hey. Why do you keep looking down there?" Percy grunted, crossing his arms.

"Percy!" Annabeth and Sally exclaimed simultaneously. She groaned, slapping her palm to her forehead.

"Seriously. If I haven't seen it in months, then he shouldn't get to either," Percy muttered as Annabeth yanked him back down.

"You're ridiculous," she hissed.

Dr. Gomez looked at Percy and Annabeth with exasperation. "I assure you, this is purely professional. We check to make sure we're not pressing too high or low. Now that that's cleared up…would you like to see your baby?"

Without giving either of them time to respond, he slowly shifted the wand again, and then the image cleared out slightly. Squinting, Annabeth still couldn't see a thing. Percy was doing the same as her for a good minute before he pulled back with a sigh. "I don't see anything," he moped.

"The lighter area here is her uterus," Dr. Gomez pointed out kindly, and then he pressed a button and the fast paced bump-bump bump-bump came out at the speed of a hummingbird's wings. "Ah, there's there heartbeat. And that tiny, little dog in the right corner? That's your baby. About the size of a pea. You look to be 8 weeks and 3 days along, based off those measurements..."

The doctor kept talking, but neither of them were listening. Annabeth wasn't even breathing, and suddenly, Percy's hand grasped hers, holding tightly as he stared with shocked eyes at the screen.

"Oh my gods," he whispered. "This is real. This is…Annabeth, we're having a baby."

His words were so profound she wanted to cry. In fact, she did tear up, and now she didn't even feel the urge to reprimand him for making it seem as if they were a couple. Now, all she could think about was how that little pea was about to grow into a real little baby.

"We are?" She questioned nervously, and Percy answered by pulling her hand up to his mouth and pressing a kiss to it.

"We're having a baby, Wise Girl," Percy grinned more than he'd grinned when he'd last won conference. "Wow. This is real, huh?"

All Annabeth could do was nod. In the back of her mind, she could hear Sally talking to the doctor, asking questions that were probably important, but Annabeth couldn't hear a thing. Her mind was focused on the way Percy's eyes were lit up, the way he held her hand so comfortably, the way the heartbeat on the monitor was so fast…

Suddenly, coldness radiated through her vagina and then the doctor was pulling away, wiping off the wand. "Alright, Annabeth. Everything looks normal. I'd really like you to see an OBGYN once you get back home and start taking prenatal vitamins right away. Other than that…any other questions?"

"Can I swim in two weeks? At nationals?"

He shrugged. "I'd be cautious. You don't want to pass out again, but swimming itself won't harm you."

"That's great," Percy said, and Annabeth nodded.

"Alright. You're all set to go," he said as a nurse came in with discharge papers. After a few minutes, Sally

"Thank you," Sally said. "I'll go get the car. Percy, help her with her things."

And then, they left, and it was just Percy and Annabeth. The room seemed too silent, so Annabeth began to get up to move, but when she moved her legs, the remaining gel still there made her cringe. "Can you hand me a towel?"

"Sure. Why?"

Annabeth gave him a look as he handed her a paper towel. Without saying a word, she blatantly reached between her legs and wiped off the excess gel the wand had left behind. A giant glob of it came off on the paper, so she showed it to Percy.

"Hey, that's what it looks like after I go down on you," Percy snickered to himself smugly.

Annabeth took the wet towel, hopped off the bed, and slapped it onto his face. "Ah! That's cold! I was joking!"

Annabeth smirked momentarily. She looked on the counter and grimaced at the wet swimsuit sitting before her. "This is going to suck," she groaned, untying the back of the hospital gown. Percy followed her gaze and bit his lip. "Well turn around!"

He snorted. "I've seen you naked a few times before, babe."

She crossed her arms. "That was before. This is now. And don't call me babe."

"Why not?"

"Because – because we're not together, and that's something couples do. We're not a couple. So. No names," she huffed, waiting for Percy to turn around. He looked at her hands, at the cold, damp swimsuit in her hands.

"You can't go out in that," Percy said, glancing around the room, but he came up with nothing. "Here, take my pullover. And pants."

"Percy, no. I don't – okay then," she said as he quickly stripped and threw his jacket at her face. His sweatpants came next, and then she quickly shrugged out of her hospital gown, back to Percy, and pulled his clothes. They were warm, and they smelled so much like him it made her heart clench.

Just when she got over him, of course he'd be thrust back into her life. It didn't matter, though. She wasn't going to let this affect anything.

As they walked back through the hospital, Percy in his boxers and shirt next to Annabeth in a pullover and sweats that were both far too big for her, they received a few stares. As they were nearing the entrance, they saw Sally and the medic, and Percy suddenly spoke. "So…do you want to tell people?"

Annabeth took a deep breath. "Piper already gave me away to the whole team. No point in hiding it now…unless you want to keep your part a secret."

Percy frowned. "What?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Nobody knows you're the father for sure. And you have all kinds of publicity and reporters and possible sponsors. I get if you want to keep it a secret. It's kind of why I didn't tell you earlier."

Before Annabeth could move any further, Percy grabbed her wrist and yanked her back to him. "Wait a second, Annabeth. We need to talk about this. That's not at all what-,"

"We really don't, Percy," Annabeth huffed. "Look, I've done the math. I'll have six hours left by the time I deliver and then I can get a decent job with my degree. Piper said she'd help out. Anyways, what I'm saying is I'll be fine on my own. You have a big future ahead of you. This doesn't have to interfere with that."

Annabeth and Percy had seen a lot of each other. Once, they drunk cried together after watching Shindler's List. Another time, they couldn't stop laughing for two minutes straight when Percy fell off the bed during sex. And of course, they'd both seen each other when they're completely wrecked, post and during sex.

Annabeth had never seen Percy angry before. He stood completely straight, fists clenched, and just stared at her, as if he didn't understand a word she'd said, but he did. His eyes gave it away.

She'd never been actually scared of him before.

"You seriously think I don't want to be part of my child's life? Why would you – what the fuck, Annabeth? That's – that's fucked up. Were you even going to tell me at all?"

She blinked, taken aback by his questions. "I – um, I don't know – maybe. I thought -,"

"Annabeth? Percy? Chiron's outside. We really must be going," Sally said, looking between them. It was only then that Annabeth realized the whole waiting room was watching them. Percy's jaw clenched, but he finally stepped back, eyes narrowing as he looked Annabeth over.

"Fine."

Without another word, Percy stalked past everyone and out of the hospital. He looked ready to punch something. A sickness crept up Annabeth's stomach suddenly. Piper had been right. Percy deserved to know. More importantly, Percy _wanted _to know.

Annabeth was a horrible person.

"He'll be fine, Annabeth," Sally whispered, arm wrapping around his shoulders. "Let him cool off."

She nodded tiredly. The medic walked ahead of them, and when they entered the cool night air, it cleared her head enough for her to get her bearings. "Sally?"

"Yes?"

"I didn't realize he'd react like this. Most guys…most guys would kill for an out. I don't understand," Annabeth said, looking at the van only a short distance away.

Sally rubbed her shoulder in comfort, stepping in close and following her gaze. "His dad left us when he was a month old. Percy's always talked about all the things he'd do when he was a father that his dad never did with him. He's very protective of his loved ones. You should have seen him with his little sister…"

Annabeth glanced wearily from Sally to the van. She hadn't known that about his dad. He'd never mentioned him before, and she knew Sally had remarried a guy Percy thought of fondly named Paul, but she'd assumed they were divorced. It shocked her she'd never considered a different possibility. She felt awful for it.

"Oh. I didn't know that."

Sally nodded, giving her one last rub before whispering kindly, "It's okay. Just talk to him." Then, she got in the van, and Annabeth had no choice but to follow, feeling like the shittiest person alive.

She scooted next to Percy, reaching out to touch his arm, but he just looked out the window and ignored her the whole ride.

She definitely deserved it.

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**A/N: WELL Annabeth is in the dog house. Who else agrees with Percy's anger? Eh, I personally think she would have told him eventually, but what do I know?**

**So I am quite ill. It feels like strep throat but the tests came back negative so I'm just going in and out of fevers and that shit is 1) cold 2) sucks ass 3) makes your body feel like death. SO some cool lengthy reviews would really bring up my mood while I wait out whatever this is!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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Annabeth woke from her sleep to a pounding on the door. Well, she wasn't really sleeping, but it was three in the morning. They were done with conference, but the soonest flight wasn't available for a few days, so they were staying to watch the men's team finish.

Piper was snoring in her bed, but Annabeth was awake enough to hear the knocking. Rolling out of bed, half hunched over in her nausea pains, Annabeth opened the door, dreading seeing who she suspected was at her door.

As expected, a disheveled, red-eyed Percy Jackson was raising his hand to knock again. "Gods, Percy. Wake the whole floor, why don't you?"

He sighed tiredly, hand running down his face. "Sorry. I just can't stop thinking – and we had a shitty conversation – and we need to talk about…things. And I have an idea, and you won't like it, but it's worth a shot. And I can't go to bed because I keep thinking about it."

Annabeth groaned. "It's fine. I can't sleep either."

"Oh. Good. Well, not good. Why?"

"Nausea," she dead panned. "Where do you want to talk?"

"My room? Jason can't sleep. He was going to come see if Piper was awake."

Annabeth shrugged. "He can wake her up. She won't care."

So Percy texted Jason, and he came over within seconds, and soon Annabeth found herself entering an extremely messy room. Percy apologized and threw his clothes off his bed, making room for Annabeth. She sent him a sour look before climbing in and curling her knees to her chest.

"Um, is there anything I can get you? To help?" Percy's eyes were so big and paler than normal with the moonlight streaming in through the crack in the window. The lights were off, and if it weren't a full moon, she'd have asked to turn them on, but it was bright enough as it was.

"Nope," she sighed, feeling another wave hit her. The thing was she wanted to vomit, and it really felt like she might, but by now she could tell the difference between morning sickness and lone nausea. "I'm fine."

Percy pursed his lips, seeming unsatisfied with her answer. Nevertheless, he sat down on the chair by Annabeth. "Sooo…"

Annabeth raised her eyebrows. This was a conversation she really wanted to avoid, mainly because she felt like shit about her ignorant mouth the last time this conversation came up. "You brought me here. Speak."

He dropped his head, momentarily gathering courage. When he looked up, his eyes went on for miles, pure and open. "Annabeth, I just…you didn't give me a chance. Why wouldn't you? I'd never abandon my – my child, Annabeth. I thought you'd know that."

Annabeth stiffened. It took her a moment to raise her eyes to Percy, guilt visible within them. "I know. I'm sorry, Percy. We hadn't spoken in a long time, and you just have so much going on with your swimming…Percy, are you sure? This is big. This is really big. It's not just another class or a fifth year. It's-,"

"I know, Annabeth," Percy reached forward, hands clasping one of hers within his. His eyes were sparkling with what she finally realized was excitement.

She moved backwards a bit, eyes scanning his face in confusion. "Really?"

"Ah," Percy said, sitting back with a pleased smile on his face. "I get it."

"Get what?"

"You're scared," he said smugly.

"I'm not," she said instantly in indignation.

He snorted, "You are."

She rolled her eyes. "Look, I'm not ecstatic about it. I wasn't exactly prepared for this, but – but great things require sacrifices, and I understand that. I do."

Percy huffed before scooting closer, eyes turning back to a serious tone. He was rarely so serious, and now Annabeth seemed to be getting hours of uninterrupted seriousness. "I guess we are in different places, aren't we?" Reluctantly, Annabeth shrugged. He sighed again. She hated the way even his breath smelled so good. "I'm graduating in a few months. I mean, I wasn't planning on starting a family so early, but-,"

"Woah," Annabeth uncurled her legs and sat on the edge of the bed. "Family? Percy. I'm having a baby. You're having a baby. Same baby, but separately. Okay?"

Percy's face slowly contorted into confusion. "Not okay. How is – what are you trying to get across? Same baby kind of makes it a together thing. It's _our_baby, Annabeth."

Annabeth flinched at his words, his tone harsher than before. Her palms began to sweat. Her stomach clenched so badly she wanted to curl up again. "We're not together, Percy. We're not a family." Saying those words put a horrible taste in her mouth, but she knew they had to be said. The words that made Percy's eyes shine a little dimmer had to be spoken aloud because then maybe Annabeth would believe it a little more. Maybe she wouldn't wind up with her heart on her sleeves, dangling in the open in search for affection only to wash up dry.

"Oh," Percy gulped, leaning as far back in his chair as he could. His eyes seemed too glossy now. When he cleared his throat, her body jerked with his. "You don't want to even try?"

Annabeth sighed tiredly, hands pulling at her hair. "Wow, Percy. You're _such_a charmer!" He narrowed his eyes, so she went on. "There are reasons we didn't date. Just because we're having a baby doesn't mean we should try something that clearly wouldn't work."

"Why wouldn't it?" Percy threw his hands up.

"Because if we wanted each other bad enough, we already would have already been dating! I'm not going to be somebody's second choice for the rest of my life!" Annabeth shouted, only realizing the volume of her voice when her hands followed their pattern and pulled on her hair so hard she flinched.

"Oh."

"Do you understand where I'm coming from?"

Percy looked at her in an almost pleading fashion. She didn't understand what he wanted though. At the least, he understood that being together included more than just sex, so this really shouldn't have been too difficult to grasp.

"Yeah, Annabeth, I understand."

She was about to let out a sigh of relief, but then his head flipped up and he stared at her.

"We can't be what we were though, can we?"

Every cell in her body screamed at her to ask when 'what they were' ended? When did it begin? Why did stop? Why did it ever start? Why did he make things so unclear despite being the most blunt person alive? Why were their lines all so blurred?

"No. We can't."

Percy nodded grimly as all tension in his body released in an almost dejected manner. "Will you at least stay? And cuddle?"

Percy had always been a cuddler, much to Annabeth's exasperation in the beginning. She, a pro at casual hook up's, never cuddled. Percy, never having hooked up with anyone he wasn't dating, was shocked to see Annabeth beginning to leave after they cleaned up their first time.

"Sure," she finally mumbled, toeing off her shoes and slipping her shorts off, to which Percy raised an eyebrow. She smiled despite herself. "Shut up. You know I hate sleeping in bottoms."

Percy snorted as he stretched upwards. "Not really. You only stayed over after sex, and any bottoms you had then were thrown across the room."

Annabeth gave him that. "You know, that's one thing the movies get right. The underwear could literally be across the room."

"Or in a drawer."

Annabeth smiled to herself at the memories. They were good times. They were reckless times. They were times when she didn't have to constantly fear for her future.

Percy climbed inside the bed, so Annabeth followed suit. Her stomach was getting better, but the moment Percy wrapped his arms around her waist, warm hand lighting her stomach on fire, she felt finally relaxed. He was like her own personal heating bad. Annabeth moved back into him, enjoying the feel of his hard-toned muscles wrapping around her protectively. Annabeth Chase was a strong independent woman, and even strong independent women could be held sometimes.

"Oh. What was your proposal?"

Percy hesitated. "It was nothing."

It obviously wasn't nothing.

"You sure?"

Percy's warm breath made goosebumps appear on her neck as his head nuzzled into her hair. "Absolutely."

. . .

Her dreams were not kind to her that night. Of course, they weren't when Percy's strong arms were wrapped around her. Well, her version of 'not kind' meant extremely dirty, but that was beside the point. When they used to cuddle, his hands would wind up near her boobs, almost every time. However, this time, she woke to his hands pressed against her stomach.

It was all wrong. She was moved further up his chest because of it, so her butt wasn't close to his dick, her hair was all in his face, and he definitely wasn't getting to cop a feel for free.

It was a shock to wake up this way, but she'd also never slept better. There was something about having his hot, even breath blow against her neck every few seconds. It lulled her into a sleep deeper than she'd had in weeks.

Unfortunately, that was also the problem. By the time she recognized the churning in her stomach and the tightness in her throat, with Percy's arms trapping her in, she had no time to act.

"Percy!" Annabeth croaked, sitting up but having no restraint as vomit came up her throat.

"Wassup, baby?"

In response, Annabeth puked all over his bed.

"Oh – oh fuck," Percy said quietly at first, and then he got more energy. "Fuck! Aw, don't get it on you. Come here." Just before the liquid-y vomit hit her knees, Percy pulled her back, holding her as she puked again.

"Gods, I hate this," Annabeth groaned, her nostrils burning as she wiped her nose. "I'm sorr-,"

"Don't apologize," Percy mumbled, voice thick with sleep. "You think you're done?" She nodded wearily. "Come on. Let's get you cleaned up. You can have one of my shirts."

"You don't have to. Really."

Annabeth tried to pull out of his arms, and this time Percy let her, though reluctantly. "I know. I just – want to help. Pregnancy isn't exactly a fair share."

Somehow, Annabeth laughed. "I just puked on your bed. I think we're good here."

"Please?"

She waved a hand. "Can you start the shower? And do you have mouthwash? And a shirt, yeah."

Percy beamed. "On it. Pick anything from my suitcase."

Annabeth didn't know how she ended up wearing Percy's clothes for the second day in a row, but his sweatshirts were extremely comfortable, so she wasn't going to complain. The only downside was his name on the back.

After the shower, she found Percy stretching out on the floor. The sheets were all off the bed in a ball in the corner. "Hey, uh, you can share my bed tonight. You know, after you win today."

Percy, who was bent at the hips, smiled at Annabeth. He stood up and took her in. "Thanks, Wise Girl. Feel better?"

She nodded as he sat on the floor. "After I throw up, the nausea usually goes away. Here, let me help."

Without waiting for a response, Annabeth grabbed his leg and pushed it toward his chest. She stopped when he let out a groan. "What else happens?"

"Hmm?" She asked and switched legs. "Oh, yeah. Well, not much yet. I get tired sometimes, and heartburn, but the tums make me nauseas. Oh, my boobs are really sore."

"And bigger," Percy said wistfully. "It was hard to notice because they're already perfect." She snorted. "But when I found out, I could tell."

Smiling ruefully, Annabeth yanked him up. "Alright. Clearly, I'm too much of a distraction. Go actually stretch with your team."

Percy chuckled. "Will you come watch?"

Despite all her qualms, she smiled brightly, "I'm not wearing your name on my back for nothing, Seaweed Brain."

Percy's smile lit up the morning air. "Perfect," he breathed, moving forward and pressing a kiss to her cheek. She stood still, shocked. Friends kissed each other on their cheeks, right? Yeah. They did. It was fine. Her heart was only beating fast because of the baby growing inside her.

"Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this," she gestured to her stomach, "public knowledge? Or will it ever be? I don't-,"

Percy pursed his lips, thinking on it. Her stomach was twisted in knots waiting for his answer. He was going to be somewhat famous, that much she was decently sure of. Many other people were sure of that as well. It was why she knew he'd never jump into a relationship after Rachel again. Everyone threw themselves at him because they knew he'd be famous. Annabeth personally found that annoying. She'd been his friend long before he was sure he was going to go pro. Either way, he was going somewhere public because the media was already following him. When word got out, it'd only increase at the 'scandal.'

"Can I make an announcement? Not yet, I have an idea…but eventually?"

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "It depends."

"On?"

"If I make it to nationals," Percy shrugged, like the idea wasn't mind-blowing. Annabeth supposed that was because it wasn't for him. Making it to regionals individually was a big accomplishment for her, but she had no chance of making it to nationals. Percy had a chance at winning nationals.

"Sure," she bit her lip.

"You'll come watch nationals if I go, right?" Percy turned to her suddenly, unsure of her answer.

"Percy…" she said, gnawing on her bottom lip. "That's a 'girlfriend' thing to do. I'm not sure if I should."

He scowled, reaching out for her hand. "Ignore what you should or shouldn't do and do what you want to do. Do you want to support me? Please?" Annabeth sighed, so he pulled her closer. "No matter what, we're going to get very close. Close 'friends' support each other."

Finally, she caved. "Alright, Percy. Of course, I want to be there for you," she smiled. It was true. She'd probably follow him to the end of the earth if he asked, which was what worried her. However, there was no way she could ignore such an intimate request from him, not when he was giving her those sea-green puppy eyes. She was over him, but that didn't mean she couldn't be close to him. "Now go kick their asses!"

. . .

The moment Piper saw her, she waved her down while looking her over cautiously. "Hmm. Your hair doesn't look like sex hair, though it could use a brush," she commented under her breath. There was an air of annoyance in her words, and the way she refused to look away from the pool confirmed Annabeth's suspicions.

"I didn't sleep with him, Piper," Annabeth sat down, and Piper turned immediately on her.

"Oh thank the gods!" Piper breathed. "I woke up and was like, 'Aw, that's cool of Annabeth to let Jason come over,' but then you weren't there!"

She nodded grimly. "We had to talk some things out."

"Oh, that's…responsible of you two," Piper sounded surprised. "So…?"

Annabeth glanced down at the pool, seeing Percy jumping up and swinging his limbs. His heat was next. "So…he wants to be in the baby's life. He had a good point. He's at a point in his life that this isn't _that_crazy. I guess it makes sense that he wasn't as freaked out as I was."

When she looked at Piper, she was scowling. "No, it doesn't. Any guy freaks out when he gets a girl pregnant accidentally, even his girlfriend."

Annabeth thought the same. "Yeah, but Percy's weird."

"He is."

They didn't talk for a while, but Piper kept looking Annabeth over, as if she were fragile. "You're not, like, dating him, are you?" Annabeth snorted, shaking her head. Piper and she had already talked about this. No matter how close Percy and she would get during this child's life, it wasn't fair to Annabeth to settle to be someone's second choice. Forcing a relationship to happen would only hurt the baby's life, not help. "Then why is his name on your back?"

Annabeth groaned. "Because I threw up on my shirt! Gods, Piper, just watch the heat! It's starting."

Jason was also swimming this heat as well. He was a few lanes down from Percy, who was in the middle. This was the last heat – the most anticipated heat of this event. This was much longer. Percy did best at sprints, but he'd already won that one two days ago. This was to push his team further into first and send Percy into regionals in multiple individual events, an uncommon thing for such a competitive collegiate team.

The girls watched as they all dove into the water. It was slow, but Percy inched ahead after a few laps. Jason wasn't too far behind, but there were two others between him and Percy. The crazy thing about this is they never had any idea how well they were doing compared to the others, not even Percy. They had to swim their own fastest time and hope that was enough.

The other swimmers cheered their teammates on from around the pool, but as the laps turned into single digits, the crowd started screaming as well. Their entire time was cheering on Percy and Jason, but Annabeth had told herself to stay quiet. She knew he'd never hear her, and she was already wearing his sweatshirt. If she did much more, she'd just feel silly.

But then it was the last lap and someone was inching closer to Percy, and Annabeth couldn't stop herself from jumping on her feet, shouting, "Come on Percy! Goooo!"

At the halfway mark, he, like always, surged forward as if the water was pushing him itself, making a good 0.6 second difference between him and the next person.

Piper turned, openly staring at Annabeth, but all she could do was shove a hand in her face and sit back in her seat. "We do not need to speak of this."

And so they didn't.

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**A/N: hiiii! So Percy knows! I liked this chapter, but things are not all well yet! Annabeth is not about to be a second choice! SO what were your thoughts? Questions? Theories? I love your feedback! Thank you for all the praise! **

**Read my long mess below if you want to know if I swim/inspiration to this story! and updating schedule. It's long tho, so if not, please skip it and leave me some love!**

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To answer abbyd316 (sorry this is so long I rambled!):

1/2) I am not a swimmer. I actually golf at my university, and I am very close with the swim team. They're the best people! So like I said this was inspired by a personal experience among me and one of the guy golfers (don't worry I did not get pregnant still only a freshman aspiring to be a doctor that would be hard!) but I also know how boring golf can be to other people. And honestly the type of sport didn't have much influence into the story, but I have always loveddd swimmers and a whole Michael Phelps idea came into my mind because his body reminds me of a version of Percy I've seen drawn. Plus it's Percy plus water obviously we had to do swimming! I did get my swimming friends to help me out with the lingo a bit because I am clueless, so thank you for thinking I did! That means I've not fucked it up! I've never swam and swimming is confusing!

3) I started reading Percy Jackson when I was in elementary school I think. Probably the third or fourth grade I think, so it's been a longgg time! I've loved and read them ever since!

4) I try to update around every four days. If I get a lot of feedback, though, I tend to go around two/three days. I do this because when I post a decently long story, I will have about 75% completed by the time I post part 1. So I try to space it out so that you're not waiting weeks for the last parts. :)

Thanks for your interest!


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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Annabeth didn't place at regionals, and neither did her team. It wasn't a surprise. She was honestly impressed with how well she did at conference. Now, her focus was on finals, and then she'd start planning. Her mind was already conjuring up possible jobs for during the summer. She could get a decent amount saved up, and Piper already said she didn't mind the baby living in their apartment, so she'd have help for when she had to go to classes. The only problem came to their morning workouts. Most medical redshirts, which was what Lupa said she'd be for the year. She'd deliver around the end of January, so there was no chance of her being able to swim that either season.

Lupa said if she stayed here for graduate school and had time she could swim her fourth year then, but Annabeth hadn't had the heart to tell her there was no way she'd continue with her plans to attend their architecture master's program. She'd get her bachelor's of architecture, but that wasn't enough to become a true architecture. Hopefully, she could become an architecture's assistant. At least then these four years in school would mean something.

Annabeth stared at her books, struggling to find motivation. Before, all she could think about was passing her finals. Now, it didn't seem as important, not when she needed to find a job and figure out how the hell she would raise this baby.

Before she thought herself into a deep depression, her phone rang. It was Percy. She wanted to ignore him, but then she remembered the crushed look on his face when she told him to leave her and the baby.

"Hello," she said tiredly, glancing at the clock. It was only ten at night.

"Annabeth! Hey!" Percy sounded much too energetic.

"Hi," she sighed. "I've already said this. Do you need something, Percy?"

"Um. No," he sounded like he was frowning. "Well, yeah. I just – we're having a party to celebrate going to nationals this weekend. You should come."

Annabeth pinched the bridge of her nose. This weekend was the last weekend before finals. She'd already promised Percy she would go, and she also made a deal to split a room with Piper and Thalia, both going to support Jason. Nevertheless, every bone in her body told her to stay for two reasons. Primarily, she knew she needed to study. However, the more prominent reason was that she was terrified she'd start to feel like his girlfriend. Annabeth never wanted to get reattached to him again. The pain of trying to get over Percy Jackson was more than she could have ever imagined. She was a smart girl, and any smart girl would know to avoid that at all costs.

"I have to study, Percy," Annabeth sighed.

"Please. For just an hour to clear your head," Percy said. She could practically see his lower lip jutting out. "Come on. I'll come walk you here and back."

Annabeth huffed. "Why? All I get when I go anywhere now is people asking about the baby and who the dad is and what horrible luck I have."

Percy stayed quiet for a moment, thinking. "Well, fuck people. Come for me."

In that moment, Annabeth felt two completely opposite emotions. Her heart soared. She used to spend nights praying to hear those words from him. All she wanted was for Percy to want her around. But she also felt fiery hatred for him in that moment. Why would he say things like that? Why would he purposefully make her feel like he wanted her when he didn't? Why would he lead her on only to break her heart again? Granted, he never knew how much he'd affected her before, but he had to have guessed his effect on women.

"Percy…"

"Please, Annabeth," Percy whispered, voice low and serious all of a sudden. "I miss you."

She snorted half-heartedly. "We spent two nights together just two days ago," she said, but her walls were already down. He made a whiny sound, and that did it for her. "Fine. Just an hour."

"Yes! I'm running over there now."

"You don't have to run-,"

"See you in a minute."

Annabeth sighed, pulling up a second window of baby things. While avoiding her finals, she'd managed to find a list of baby items Percy and she would have to share. Currently, she found a baby car seat, binkies, bottles, and a few outfits she liked. Annabeth figured they could split these items. She didn't even want to look at the number of items she had to buy herself for when the baby stayed with her. She had some savings, but not nearly enough.

A knock at the door made her jump. He really must have ran over here. She glanced down at herself, grimacing at his sweatshirt she was still wearing. She threw it into her closet and worked on pulling on a bra while also making her way to the door to let Percy in. "Hey," she said, annoyed that she sounded more breathless than he did. His smile slipped of his eyes fell to her chest. "Sorry. I'm changing. I think I've worn your sweatshirt for three days straight, so I figured I'd change. I can wash it and get it back to you soon."

Percy followed her into her room and sat on her bed as she sifted through her shirts. "I don't care. I like it on you. Keep it."

She turned, frowning. "You don't want your senior year sweatshirt?"

He shrugged. "Not really. Once I get sponsored, I'll have too much gear to keep everything in one closet, you know?"

Annabeth grinned, pulling a shirt over her body and finally freeing Percy's gaze. "Yeah. You'll just be set." It was amazing that he was good enough to be assured a sponsor. It blew her mind sometimes that she was so close to someone who'd eventually be an Olympian. "Hey, check out my laptop. I found a few baby things we'll need to share. The reviews are pretty good. Of course, I'd love to get the premium car seat, so maybe that one would be okay to splurge on, but in general-,"

"Wow, you're really prepared," Percy said, and as he browsed the page a small frown formed. "Um, won't we need like, a diaper genie and a swing? Oh! We should get a little rocker thingy. My sister loved that when she was little!" Annabeth had almost forgotten he had a little sister. That must have been where Sally's husband was during conference. "Can I help pick out his crib? It has to match the theme for his room. Stella's was pink fairyland, but I think we can do better."

Finally dressed, Annabeth looked at him skeptically. "I'm ready," she huffed, grabbing a bottle of water and motioning for him to follow. The air was brisk outside, clearing her head to let his words hit her fully. She took a breath, unsure how to go about this. "Um, you can do all that for your house on your own. I mean, I could help, if you want, but…in general, we're both going to need a crib and diaper genie and swing." Percy was silent for so long Annabeth risked a glance at him only to find a very deep frown. "What?"

He laughed in a self-depreciating way, picking up the pace and leading her in the direction of the guy's swim house he lived in with four other swimmers. "Sorry. I forgot I hadn't mentioned my, er, proposal to you. Never mind."

Annabeth nodded, and they continued walking in silence until her curiosity finally got the best of her. "Alright, what was the proposal?" Percy blushed, running a hand through his hair, so Annabeth laughed, running into him as they walked. "Tell me."

He groaned. "Well, it still stands, by the way." They'd made it to the party now, so Percy stopped before walking inside. He sat down on the cement lining the steps, motioning for Annabeth to do the same. She sat down, feeling her stomach flutter. "Um, so I'm not supposed to tell anyone this, but Nike gave me an offer. Off the record, obviously, but…it's a lot. Like 'the baby won't be a problem' a lot."

Annabeth blinked, completely stunned. "Oh my gods, Percy! That's amazing! Shit!"

He smiled lightly, blushing. "Thanks, Wise Girl. Um, anyways, I just thought that it might be easier to raise the little guy-,"

"Or girl," she interjected purely to keep the mood light because she was worried about where this conversation was going.

"It might be easier to raise _our _baby together. In one house. As a team. I was hoping as something more, but if not, then that's okay. You could finish school. You're too damn smart not to lead your own architecture projects. I'll have more money than I can imagine, and the least I can do is offer my kid and his mother a nice home. And I know. I know you're going to say, 'I don't need your help,' but the thing is, I need _your _help. I don't want to do this alone. You could have your own room and everything. I just don't want you throwing away your future for this. You're going to be super mom, but you don't have to be dead super mom." He paused. "And if it's the money stopping you, then just know that when you're done with school, you'll have more than enough to pay me back. I don't want you to. Seriously, but I know you. So…"

Percy's eyes were so bright, like speaking about it alone was so exciting to him. Annabeth regarded him hesitantly. It was weird, hearing his proposal. She felt a little embarrassed. Clearly, he had caught on to how tight she was going to be with money…and general support.

"I don't know, Percy," Annabeth rubbed at her arms. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea-,"

Percy reached forward, hand resting on her knee, sending sparks straight through her body that had her cheeks flushing with heat. "Just think about it, okay?"

Reluctantly, she nodded. "Yeah. I'll think about it."

Percy's smile made her light up inside. "Thanks, Wise Girl. Now! Let's go party!"

The party was on the larger scale, which shouldn't have surprised her considering it was the Thursday before the end of the year. It was just shocking Percy was willing to skip part of this just to come walk her only a block and a half to the party. Once inside, Annabeth was overwhelmed with familiar faces. She was heading towards where there seemed to be a few of her teammates, but Percy wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in another direction. "Come on. I want you to see something."

Annabeth follow him without protest deeper into the party. It would have been more efficient to weave around people by taking his arm off her shoulders, but he didn't. Instead, he brushed people off and parted the crowd until he got to the back of the house where there was a bear pong table set up.

On one end were Leo and Calypso, which was shocking in itself, but the even more astounding pair was Nico and Will. When they both made it in a cup and got the balls back, Will celebrated by slinging his arm around Nico and pulling him tightly against him in an odd hug.

Annabeth turned to Percy, mouth falling open. "You're telling me…no."

Percy grinned as he nodded. "Yep. We knew they'd stopped fighting, but we never knew _why. _Then yesterday Nico and Will showed up to practice with hickeys all over their necks. Neither of them would give an answer, but they definitely looked at each other after we asked."

Annabeth giggled, stepping closer and pressing a hand to Percy's bicep. "Looks like I'm not the only one caught with a hickey any-,"

"Annabeth Chase! Are you drinking _pregnant?" _Drew Tanaka was debatably Annabeth's least favorite person on the swim team. She acted like she was better than everyone else on the team, which was a silly thought. Nobody was best at every event in a division one school, even Percy.

She sighed, glancing briefly at Percy before saying, "No, Drew. This is water."

Drew's gaze flickered to Percy, as if unsure why he didn't seem so confused. The girl shook her black locks anyways and stepped into Annabeth's space, running a hand down her hair. "You're absolutely glowing. Don't you think so, Percy? You know, the pregnancy glow and all?"

Annabeth knew what she was doing. Drew wanted to make it clear to Percy that she was pregnant. It wasn't a surprise. There were a number of girls that had sent Annabeth looks back when she and Percy were at their closest, hanging out nearly every day. That was so long ago, back when he and Rachel were still together, that she couldn't remember it.

"I know. She's absolutely beautiful," Percy said earnestly, hand trailing down Annabeth's back, making her straighten with surprise.

Drew seemed dejected by the lack of response, but she nodded nevertheless. "So. Are you going to keep swimming?"

Annabeth knew the answer to that, but she didn't feel the need to justify it with Drew, so she shrugged. "Not sure yet. Are you?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" Drew gasped angrily, but Annabeth only smirked and sipped on her water. "Ugh." Finally, she stormed off and Annabeth let out a breath of air.

Percy coughed. "Are you okay?"

Annabeth shrugged. "I didn't expect anything less from Drew."

He bit his lip, not too convinced, but then Will and Nico beat Leo and Calypso. "Come on. Let's play beer pong!" Before she could react, he dragged her to the open side of the table. "Alright, boys, let us show you how it's done!"

Nico only smirked, quickly placing the cups in the right formation. Will cheered enthusiastically, shaking Nico's shoulder once they were ready. It was all very odd compared to what Annabeth was used to with those two around – excessive yelling.

"You're drinking for Annabeth, as well, Percy," Nico pointed out with a sly grin. Annabeth began to feel bad, but Percy slung his arm around her shoulders and beamed.

"Of course," he said, even going as far as to kiss her head.

The game started out well for them. It made Will and Nico sweat a little bit. Annabeth…was a competitive person, so every time they made a cup, she jumped up and cheered, and Percy only saw it fit to join her as well. This behavior brought on a crowd of drunk on watchers, which quickly got on her nerves. First, one guy stood so close when she jumped she hit his beer and caused it to spill on her shirt. Then, one girl kept pushed them over too much.

When she looked at Percy's side, where the pushing was coming from, she finally figured out why. The girl was pretty and tall and very thin, and she was talking more with her hands than her mouth. "Percy, scoot over. I need to be in the middle," she said shortly, now just wanting the round to be over.

"Sorry," he said, stepping to the side instantly. The girl took her hand off his arm, a little dazed from being shoved, and Annabeth had to admit it didn't make her feel bad one bit. "Alright, Wise Girl. Last cup for the win!"

Annabeth glanced at Percy, and the way he kept shooting the girl to his side looks. Annabeth couldn't tell if he was trying to speak to her while also showing attention to the game or what, but it felt like it. If she made this, they were going to play another game. And keeping Percy distracted from a girl was the last thing she wanted to do, no matter how nasally her voice sounded. So, she missed the cup by a mile, cursing loudly, hopefully in a convincing manner. However, Nico frowned at her, like he didn't understand. Then, he took the ping pong ball and easily tossed it into the last cup on their side, only to be followed by Will, effectively ending the game.

"Damn," Annabeth huffed, searching the room for somewhere else she could go when she finally found dirty-brown hair that looked very close to Piper's. Without saying goodbye to Percy, not wanting to get in the way more, Annabeth started moving in the crowd, only to be pulled to the side by her wrist. "Hey! What – oh. Sorry."

Percy looked down at her, frowning. "Are you okay?" he asked, eyes searching her body for any signs of harm.

"Yeah. I was just looking for Piper."

Percy's frown only increased. "She and Jason already went to his room. Why did you throw the game?"

"I didn't." Percy raised an eyebrow. He tossed her hands up, refusing to look into his eyes. Sighing, Percy took her towards the entrance, where there were less people and they could easily hear the other.

"You did. You threw it right of Will…like so far." Percy pointed out, stepping closer and running his hands down her side, which only made her feel like shit. "Are you feeling bad? We can go back, or there's my room. Just…tell me what you need."

And his caring tone alone made her kick herself. She groaned, sitting on the stairs and glaring at Percy for being such a nice person. "Gods, Jackson, I'm fine! I just didn't want to get in the way of you and that girl, alright?"

As Percy's concerned expression slowly shifted into a rueful smile, Annabeth felt like banging her head back on the steps. He moved closer, so close that he was sitting beside her in a crouch. "Or you were jealous."

"No," she rolled her eyes forcefully. She hated him right now, very much. "I knew if I stuck around, you'd feel the need to walk me home, and no girl is going to wait around for you to take some other girl home."

Percy barked out in laughter, "Annabeth, I don't even know what girl you're talking about!"

"The skinny brunette shoving up all on you!" Annabeth shouted suddenly, surprising herself along with a few other nearby people. Percy's smirk wasn't helping her annoyance. "The one running her nails on your bicep. You know who I'm talking about."

Percy laughed, shaking his head. "Not really. Was it the one with the annoying voice?" She nodded. "Ohh, yeah, she kept talking. I didn't realize it was to me, though. Oops."

If he hadn't had such a serious expression on his face, she wouldn't have burst out laughing, but he was utterly serious, and now she was clutching her stomach as she fell into Percy's side laughing. Percy chuckled slightly along with her, rubbing her back in a soothing way that helped her finally sober up.

"I'm sorry," she breathed. "Well, I thought I was helping you out."

But then Percy frowned. "I brought you here, Annabeth. I wasn't going to ditch you after begging you to come."

She rolled her eyes. "Your desire can change in seconds, Percy."

He shrugged. "I was having fun with you. I didn't want to be somewhere else." She pursed her lips, unsure how to take that. "Why would you think I'd just abandon you?"

Annabeth shrugged, trying to ignore the feeling of her throat clogging. She did not want to talk about this, but it just came spilling out. "I'm just used to it, okay?" His eyes were impossibly wide. "The entire time when we were fucking you'd basically ignore me at parties. You'd talk to me for a little bit, maybe even play a drinking game, but you were always distracted and talking to other girls, alright? So, I wasn't really expecting full attention tonight either just because I'm carrying your child." Annabeth never understood why he talked to so many girls because he never ended up sleeping with them, but the point still stood.

"Oh," Percy sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't realize how much of an ass I was to you."

Annabeth pursed her lips. "You weren't. We weren't together, so it wasn't a big deal. We still aren't. That's why it's kind of surprising."

Percy looked up with a pain on his face. "I was, Annabeth. I'm sorry. Just because we weren't together didn't mean I was allowed to push you aside."

And maybe he had a point. Maybe Piper was right in saying Percy was a dick to her at times. Maybe she constantly made excuses for his behavior before. She didn't know.

"It's okay," Annabeth's hand rested on his. "I'm just going to go, okay? Seriously, go have fun. I'm tired."

Percy pouted out his lower lip. "Babe, nooo. I _am _having fun."

Annabeth sighed, giving up on the notion of correcting him for a pet name again. "Let me walk you back. We could hang out."

Annabeth laughed, feeling her cheeks heat up. "No. Thanks, Percy. I'll see you later."

And that was that.

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**A/N: you guys are the best! I swear your compliments really keep me going at times. I am healthy once again and have started my summer classes! Thanks for the well wishes, btw! I'm working on finishing up the last parts of this, and guys, I really like where this is ending, which doesn't happen often. **

**Also, I feel the need to point out the whole 'subspace' I mentioned in the first chapter and such? I have not done any research on that outside of reading one direction fanfiction stories between Harry and Louis, lol. I believe it's a real thing, but I'm notttt too sure. Anyways, I like it, and I think it really describes how good the sex is in this story, which plays into Annabeth's infatuation in the beginning for Percy. Just wanted to give an FYI :)**

**Please let me know what you guys think! Sorry for the late update. I hope it was worth it, though!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

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Nationals was huge. Annabeth had never been before. This was Percy's fourth year going, unsurprisingly. Each year, he'd done better and better individually. Their team placed second during his sophomore year, but then they lost a key player, so they got fifth his junior year. This year, they were counting on their all-star freshman Nico di Angelo to push them ahead.

She'd been expecting it to be crazy, but it was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. She wondered if this was what going to the Olympics was like. Then the idea that someday she may actually go to the Olympics to support her child's father hit her and she had trouble breathing.

The pool was like any other college size pool, but the stands to watch was so much bigger than what she'd seen before. This time around, Sally brought her six-year-old daughter along with her husband, Paul Blofis. "We're saving them seats today," Annabeth said as Piper, Thalia, and she shuffled into the closest row of seats they were able to get. Most seats weren't bad in swimming arenas because the pool was so much lower and farther away from the stands. Their school didn't swim until the second day, so they only had to stay one night. The first day, the team advanced and were in fourth place, but that was with Percy only swimming twice. He swam four times today. If he won in all or three of the events, he should push the team into first as long as nobody else did awful.

"Annabeth! How are you?" Sally's sweet voice came over the music being blasted from the speakers between heats while the swimmers warmed up.

Annabeth stood, smiling at the sight of Sally. Since the hospital visit, Sally had texted Annabeth every now and then to talk about how she felt and all the cute baby clothes they found. "I'm good! The nausea is lessening up today."

"Good! It should go away after the first trimester. You're almost 12 weeks, right?" Sally asked, and Annabeth nodded. She'd be 12 weeks in three days. "Are you showing yet?"

Blushing, Annabeth smiled. "Yeah. You want to see?"

Sally smiled impishly, looking almost similar to Percy when he was doing something he wasn't supposed to do. "I know someone who's been dying to see…have you met Percy's sister Estelle?"

As if on command, she peeked her head out in front of Sally and grinned. "Call me Stella! You're pretty!"

Her eyes were a bright blue, almost similar to Percy's, but her hair was a faint brown color rather than black. She was adorable, and that compliment made her day. "Thank you, Stella! Are you excited to see Percy swim?"

She shrugged, crawling over Paul, who was busy talking on the phone, and onto Sally's lap. "I guess. I really want to meet his baby, though. It's your baby, too, right?"

"Yep," Annabeth breathed. She'd slowly gotten used to saying that in the couple weeks since her teammates found out. "Do you want to see my belly?" Her eyes lit up as she nodded giddily.

"It took her forever to start showing!" Piper leaned around Annabeth to look at Sally. "Most people show around nine weeks – when conference was."

Annabeth blushed. "I was bloated, but I guess I didn't show much because I'm in good shape or something."

Sally waved a hand. "Everyone's different."

"Let me see your belly!" Stella stood, leaning against Sally and clapping excitedly. Annabeth leaned back, raising her sweatshirt – Percy's sweatshirt to be specific – up to below her chest.

It was such a gradual growth that Annabeth almost didn't notice. It wasn't until she stayed with Percy at regionals. Piper wanted to stay with Jason. Annabeth could tell just by the way she was glued to her phone or glancing at their hotel door every two seconds. She offered, and Piper originally protested that if it'd be too painful, it was fine. However, Annabeth didn't want to listen to them cuddle until two in the morning, talking in whispers about nothing, so, she stayed with Percy, and when she was changing into her pajamas, Percy gasped.

_"What? What's wrong?" Annabeth asked, spinning around in only her Calvin Klein bra that offered no support but also didn't squish her bloated stomach. _

_"Your stomach – oh my god, Annabeth. I think you might be showing," Percy breathed, eyes wide in disbelief. "Holy shit. Look!"_

_Annabeth frowned, dashing over to the mirror and pulling her pants down a little and turning to her side. When she looked in the mirror, she had to squint a little bit. Her hands rounded her stomach, resting below and trying to see the difference. And then it hit her. Her abs had turned a little flabby pretty quickly, but this wasn't just a normal belly anymore. This was rounded. It protruded low along her stomach in the smallest little bump, as if she'd eaten way too much three meals in a row, but then she felt the bump with her hands and was shocked to feel firmness. _

_"Wow," she whispered, shocked to feel tears slipping down her cheeks. Percy appeared in the mirror behind her, walking slowly, so as not to alarm her, but she didn't care. "Percy…I have a baby bump."_

_Percy wrapped his arms around her from behind, hands running over her stomach with care fit for a child. "That's our baby in there." Then, he was crying with her, both too silent and too happy to do anything else. He hugged her closer, their tears mixing together with elation._

"Wowww! You have a big belly!" Stella exclaimed, bringing Annabeth back to the present.

"Want to feel? It's hard, isn't it?" Annabeth asked as Stella eagerly pressed into the even more prominent belly she was sprouting. By now, it was the size of a major beer gut, but because she was still relatively small in all the other places, it was decently clear that she was pregnant.

"Yeahhh. Your baby sure is tiny!" Stella said in disbelief as she retreated back into Sally's arms. Sally just laughed and petted her hair down.

"It's growing inside Annabeth's belly," Sally said as she hugged her. "Oh! There's Percy!"

Percy and Jason, once again swimming together, exited the locker room with grins on their faces. Annabeth let her shirt fall back down and sat forward in her seat. They began stretching, and Annabeth knew she could have relaxed a bit because they had a few minutes before their heat, but her body was buzzing with energy.

"You know, Jason said Percy beat the NCAA's college record a few times in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle in practice," Thalia snorted. Annabeth bit her lip. Percy beat the 50-yard freestyle college record six times before. If he beat the college record, there was no telling how many sponsors he'd get. Annabeth kept telling herself she didn't care. After all, it didn't affect her. Still, it was a big deal. "I don't care as long as he uses that to help win in the medleys. He's doing both, right?"

Annabeth nodded. "He did the 400 medley yesterday and they got second in that just barely, so they'll hopefully win the 200 yard one. He also did 400-yard butterfly yesterday, too. He won that one." She tried to ignore the pride that was so obviously in her voice. Thalia sent her a smirk, and Annabeth ignored that as well.

The events went slowly. First, Percy competed in the 100-yard freestyle. He got second in that, mainly because he was slow on the first turn. Annabeth blamed his nerves. It was okay. He had the 50-yard freestyle later, and that was his most anticipated one. However, she personally loved seeing Percy swim the 200-yard breast stroke.

Her hand clamped onto Piper's as he readied himself. "I love this event," she faced Piper, who only offered her a snort. Jason didn't swim in this event, but Will Solace and Leo Valdez did, however, Leo was in the second heat. Honestly, Will stood a good chance of getting third. If he did that, then their team would really be in good standing.

"You just love it because it makes his pecs look great," Piper snorted, to which Thalia made a sound of disgust.

"Your obvious attraction for him disgusts me," Thalia declared. "No offense, Sally."

"None taken, Thalia." Sally laughed.

"You are cousins," Paul said in discomfort. "So we're glad to hear that."

Thalia flashed him a thumbs up and turned to the pool. Then, they were off and Annabeth's breath quickened. It'd been a while since she'd watched the boys swim, specifically Percy. His unnaturally tanned body moved through the water with such speed it was mind-blowing to think about. She would never understand how he moved with such fluidity. With every stroke, his pecs and arms flexed and moved in ways that really got in her head. She hadn't been so affected by his swimming before.

"Annabeth, let up," Piper hissed, detaching her nails from her skin.

"Piper, he's so hot," Annabeth whispered, letting her head fall on her shoulder while her eyes never left Percy, who was taking an obvious lead over the competition.

"He's not good for you," Piper reminded her. "I still don't approve of you being here."

"I know." Annabeth huffed. "But he's so hot."

"Oh my gods," Piper face palmed dramatically, but Annabeth ignored her as Percy's family started screaming. He was on his last lap, and he was a good half a body ahead of his closest competitor…which happened to be Will Solace.

"Guys, Will's going to get second!" Thalia exclaimed. "Look at Nico. Well, if they weren't out of the closet before, they are now."

Nico was on the sidelines screaming until his face turned red. He was bouncing up and down, and then he was waving his arms and telling him to push it.

Annabeth looked back into the pool as Percy flipped around, leading them into their final stretch. Will was in lane 2 while Percy was in the middle, so it was harder to tell how close Will was, but it was close. Out of nowhere, a guy from California began to push ahead close to both Will and Percy, but before he could make any solid gain on them, Percy soared ahead and hit the wall. Will was close behind, coming in second by two tenths of a second.

Annabeth let out a breath of air. It was a close one.

Then, the team relay was up. Most people looked forward to the 50-yard freestyle, that being the fast event, so they saved that for last. It was normally where the most upsets came; you never know when someone would get a burst of energy. In a longer distance swim, pacing was needed through training, but in the 50-yard 'sprint' it was all out nonstop.

The team 200-yard relay went effortlessly. It started with Will doing the breast stroke, and then Jason did the butterfly, but by then they were in third. Luckily, Nico did the backstroke, moving like silk through the water, and put them back into second place. Finally, Percy finished them off with freestyle to send them into first.

And if Paul's stopwatch was correct, Percy swam that 50-yards in roughly 18.64 seconds. It was close to the college record of 18.58 seconds. "My stopwatch is hardly accurate. I think he had it!" Paul fist pumped in the fatherliest way possible. It made Annabeth smile.

There were a few other events before Percy had to go, so he seemingly disappeared. Annabeth stood, stretching her back and then wincing. "I need to pee."

"I need to pee, too!" Stella shouted, jumping up. "Mommy, can Annabeth take me? Pweaseeee?"

"Oh my gods, Stella, you beg just like Percy," she whispered as if it was scandalous news. Stella giggled devilishly, so Annabeth extended her hand. "Let's go."

"Annabeth, you don't have to-,"

"I don't mind, really," Annabeth said, and then they were walking down the stands. "Do you want to swim?"

Stella made a sound of disgust. "Ew! No way! I hate it. I always swallow water!"

Annabeth guided her away from being squished. "With practice-,"

"No, no, no. Too boring," she groaned. "I like when Percy makes the purple marks on his skin, though. They're pretty. I want – Percy!"

"What?" Annabeth peered down curiously at her only to be swept into someone's arms. "Ah!"

When Percy sat her down, her sweatshirt was wet, and cool lips pressed to her forehead. "Did you see that, Annabeth? I was 0.02 seconds away from beating the college record! Holy fuck!"

"Hey! That's a bad word!" Stella shouted, arms crossed and glare furious. Percy gaped, looking curiously at Annabeth before bending down and picking Stella up in his arms. He was wearing sweats, and a thin, wet tank top that stuck to his sides.

"I'm sorry, Stell-Bell," he said, nuzzling his face into her neck and blowing raspberries until she was kicking and giggling ridiculously.

"That's amazing, Percy," Annabeth breathed, light and pride filling her eyes. She knew she had no claim over him, but every bone in her body felt a claim over him. It was understandable, considering she was growing a mini-version of him inside her, but it was still alarming how hot and bothered she was getting at seeing Percy handle a toddler so well. Soon, he'd handle their child like that. "You're going to break it. I know it. I have a feeling."

"Pregnant intuition?" Percy snickered, moving Stella to rest on his hip while slinging an arm around Annabeth. The motion made her bladder jump, and she grimaced.

"Yes, pregnant intuition fueled by the need to pee. Badly." She huffed. "Are you going upstairs to your mom and Paul?"

Percy shook his head, eyes flirting to the bathroom. "Can't. Coach only gave me a few minutes. Then I'm being forced to 'meditate' in the hottub." Annabeth smiled tightly, understanding. "Besides, she'd just psych me out."

"Why'd you come out here then?" she asked.

"I was going to call you," Percy shrugged. His eyes glanced to Stella wearily. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something…"

Annabeth understood his tone, meaning he needed to ask her something away from Stella. "Text me?"

Percy bit his lip, running a hand through his hair. Annabeth was thankful he was the type to constantly remove and put back on his swim cap. He was mouth-watering either way, but up close and clothed, she liked seeing his wet hair frame his defined jaw line.

"Come sneak in to the hot tubs. I'll get Nico to help you," Percy squeezed her hand.

"Can I come?" Stella asked.

Percy turned to her with a fake pout. "I'm going to check on the baby. It's going to be gross. We might even kiss!" As if to make Annabeth flush harder, he wiggled his hands in Stella's face, making Stella scream and jump from his arms.

"Gra-ross!" she huffed, yanking on Annabeth's arms to get her heading to the bathroom.

"Percy, is this really necessary? I don't want to risk getting kicked out and missing your final event," Annabeth protested, hating even the idea of that happening.

Percy offered her one of his crooked smiles, that one that would get her to do almost anything. It sent energy straight through her body, pooling in her stomach. Dear gods, his smile made her wet. This was ridiculous and new and…she'd totally blame it on the pregnancy. Yep.

"It won't happen, babe. Just come, okay? It's important. You can watch from down there with Nico and Will." Percy said, eyes sincere and hopeful. After debating for a moment, she nodded with a curious smile.

"Alright. First, the bathroom. Come on, Stella," Annabeth took her hand again, leading her with a quick pace to the bathrooms. Luckily, the line was short considering there was an event going on at the moment.

As Stella sat on the toilet, Annabeth hovered, not too happy about her having to sit on the large seats. She was so small she feared she'd fall in, but Stella didn't seem to have an issue with it. She swung her legs as she peed, looking at Annabeth with a smile.

"Do you love Percy?" Stella asked excitedly. Annabeth's cheeks burst into flames, and she reached forward and poked her thin nose so similar to Percy's. Stella's nose crinkled, and then she wiped and

"Aren't you a little young to know about love?" Annabeth asked as she helped Stella pull her pants up. It wasn't that surprising, considering both her parents were writers.

"Nope. So do you?"

Annabeth laughed heartily, quickly peeing and moving them to the sink to wash their hands. Annabeth decided to pick Stella up to hurry them along…not that she was eager to hear what Percy had to talk to her about. Why it was so important it had to be right before his final event, she didn't know, but it was burning the question at the back of her mind.

"Thanks, Annabeth. Here, let me-,"

"Actually, Percy wants me to meet him and talk before his event," Annabeth said, waving her hands so Paul and Sally wouldn't stand to let her through. Piper and Thalia perked up immediately, looking at her with a question on their faces that Annabeth promptly ignored. Sally and Paul exchanged a knowing look, smiling like they had an idea that they were about to do something dirty. "Gods, you all, it's not a big deal! But I might sneak in and watch from the floor stands."

"Pft, not a big deal my ass," Piper cackled.

"Hey! Bad word!" Stella shouted, whacking Piper with her hand. It made Annabeth smile. At least Stella was on her side.

* * *

**A/N: you allllll kill me with the wonderful reviews! So, so kind! A few of you were asking how long this would be, and I'm not exactly sure. The thing is, after the initial plot of this story, I did intend to leave room for some fluffy pregnant or parenting events. So I may add a few in. I'm not sure yet. But no worries. There's a few more chapters full of plot and stufff. I am very busy, but I'm enjoying this story, so I'll try to bust out some good stuff this weekend! **

**I love your responses. Pleaseeee give me your feedback! I just proofread this and even I am pumped for the next chapter. Who else?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

**A/N: SO you caught me. As a reviewer pointed out, the last chapter was cut a little abruptly. I'm not sure why I cut it so randomly, really. Normally, I just write as I go. I try to make the chapters around 3,500 words, give or take 500. However, I can't think about that as I write, so when I go through to cut the chapters out, sometimes this happens. And by this, I mean, I had a chapter that was getting too long so I found a halfway decent spot to _add_ a cut, which isn't always as fluid as it should be. I am sorry about that and I'll try to make sure that doesn't happen again.**

**However, sometimes a _second _mistake occurs. Once I cut out the chapters, if I have time to review the chapter before posting and feel it's either too long/short or just doesn't feel right where it stopped, I'll move a section back or forward. By default, another chapter is shortened and sometimes I forget to change it around to compensate. **

**Long story short, this chapter is very short. So sorry! However, the next chapter is extra long, but there's no way to split it up.**

**I'll make sure to post the next one sooner if I can remember to make up for it. Without further rambling, please enjoy this short one! It's unedited btw.**

* * *

"Thanks, Nico," Annabeth said as she spotted Percy in the otherwise empty hot tub.

"Anytime," Nico grunted. "When it's time to go out, just find us. Nobody really cares. You'll be surrounded by the entire team, so."

Annabeth nodded, and then Will popped his head in the locker room and motioned for Nico to come, so she thanked him and walked further into the locker room. Percy had headphones on as he sank into the hot tub further, so Annabeth walked up quietly and dipped her legs in on either side of Percy, making him jump, but she held him back with two hands pressing into his _hard _chest. Seriously, she had no idea how someone could have such rock-hard pecs, not horribly large yet extremely defined in his lean frame.

"Fuck! You scared me," Percy breathed, turning around and toss the headphones to the side. "Gods, thank you for coming."

Annabeth grinned, shrugging as she swung her legs in the warm water. "Figured it had to be important." Percy turned, hands resting on her lower back and pulling her to the edge of the hot tub. "You're going to get me all wet!"

Percy smiled softly, staring up at her like he was trying to memorize her face. It made her blush, and she subconsciously began tucking her baby hairs and bangs behind her ear. He reached up and tugged on her ponytail, eyes draining of hope and looking softly at her. Finally, he cleared his throat.

"Have you thought more about my – proposal?"

Annabeth knew this was coming up sooner or later. The question had been on her mind constantly, as well. Logically, she should have said yes. She should have said yes a long time ago. There was just so much pride built up inside her. She didn't want to cave. She didn't want to rely on someone to get what she wanted. She wanted to be independent and not owe Percy – the all too giving, nicest human being – her entire career.

But she also knew she'd never have her dream career or be capable of raising her child the way she wanted to without him now.

"Percy," she began reluctantly. "My mother cut me off the moment I turned 18. My father died before I could remember. I have no one. I have nobody to baby sit and I have nobody to ask for money from. Taking your proposal…you'd do all the giving and I'd do all the receiving, and that's not fair. I can't do that to you."

Percy's shoulders sagged. "You mean your pride won't let you."

Annabeth stiffened. "I don't see why this needs to be decided on now."

He huffed, moving closer in the water. "Because when I win tonight, I want to dedicate it to our baby…and you. And it'd be really cool if you'd come out there with me. The press will be on me either way, especially after the baby reveal. And I was hoping that if you agreed to my earlier proposal then we could smidge the truth and say we're together."

Her eyes widened comically.

Percy held his hands up and moved closer. "I know. It's a lot, but hear me out, Annabeth, please."

She breathed out through her nose, gritting her teeth and muttering, "Fine."

"I don't know about you, but I currently am not or planning on seeing anyone anytime soon. If you really don't want to try actually dating, then what's the harm in just saying we are?"

Annabeth's nostrils flared. "You're just doing this because you're about to be famous and don't want bad press."

Percy groaned. "I knew you'd say that."

"Because it's true."

"No," Percy insisted, resting his arms on her thighs. "It does deal with the press, but not in the way you think. It's complicated."

"Try me," Annabeth flicked a piece of hair out of his eyes. "But you may want to hurry. I think you're up in twenty minutes."

Percy bit his lip and nodded, moving impossibly closer. "When I win today, I want to be able to pick you in my arms and celebrate. I want to cuddle with you and spend nights together, even if we don't live together. I want to go out together, maybe even dance together. I want to be what we are, even though we couldn't begin to describe it. I _don't _want the media asking what we are endlessly. I don't want them writing post after post about us and speculating what we are. I don't want them making you out to be some gold digger who's only after my fame because of all crazy things you are, Annabeth Chase, that is certainly not one of them."

Annabeth smiled tiredly, letting her head fall and rest on Percy's as the words filtered through her head. She hadn't thought about what the media would say about her. It hadn't really crossed her mind, and neither had the idea that she'd have to watch how she acted around Percy soon.

Then her mind jumped back to the proposal because that's what it always did when Percy was concerned. The idea of not having to jump back and forth between houses was incredibly tempting. And really, it was unfair of putting such strain on a baby. When it came down to it, she had to listen to her body, which clearly wanted to be as close to Percy as possible. He was her support now. He was her partner in raising this baby. He was more than just a guy she fucked for a while. By default, he was more than a friend, even if it wasn't in that sense.

"Dammit, Percy Jackson, go the Hades," Annabeth closed her eyes and swore. Finally, after preparing herself to lose all traces of pride, she opened her eyes and stared into those painfully green ones that made her heart race. "Fine."

"Fine?"

"Fine, you can _say_we're together."

"And the proposal?" The hope in his voice was greater than Stella's when she talked about Annabeth possibly loving her brother. Maybe they both knew a little bit about what they were talking about.

"Yes, Percy," Annabeth groaned. "I'll come live with you."

Percy's smile was instantaneous, lighting up like fireworks on the fourth of July. "Yes!" In a spur of excitement, Percy shot forward, standing up and hugging Annabeth against his chest.

"Now I'm really all wet!" Annabeth groaned, shoving against him weakly, but even she couldn't let the smile fall off her face. She was making a big mistake. Her heart would pay dearly for this mistake, but a big part of her really didn't care.

"That's what she said," Percy snickered, pulling himself out of the pool. Annabeth rolled her eyes, trying to not stare at his extremely defined butt as he walked into the locker room. There were other guys around the deeper into the locker room they went, but nobody sent her a second glance when they noticed her clutching onto Percy's hands. "Here. Wear my tank top. I want them to see your bump, baby."

With a snort, she took the tank top from his hands. They made sure no other guys were around before she quickly discarded his sweatshirt and pulled on the tank top. "I expect that sweatshirt back. It's the comfiest thing I own."

Percy grinned. "Of course."

"Won't they throw me out when they notice I'm, you know, not a guy?"

Percy waved a hand. "It's the last event. They're not going to be looking at you, sweetheart."

Annabeth smacked him. "The deal's off if you lose, asshole."

. . .

Olympia University was in second place at the moment. Since Jason was also swimming this event, it meant if he placed fourth or better, and Percy won it, they'd win hands down. As long as Percy didn't get second, they really should win. The point value between second and first was a lot, and of course, the guy with the best chances of beating Percy attended the University of Titans, who were in first place.

"You're shaking the stands," Leo pointed out from beside her. Directly in front of her were Nico and Will, standing incredibly close to each other.

"Shut up," Annabeth bit her fingers, eyes glued to Percy as he shook out his body. He looked relaxed, more than she'd expect for someone desperately trying to break the college record in a few seconds. "Do you think he'll do it?"

From behind her, Beckendorf snorted. "He'd better. I told him I'd kick his ass if he didn't."

Annabeth sent him a grateful grin. There was nothing he thrived off of more than good competition. "Oh my gods! It's starting!"

They got in position, everyone taking a few last-minute seconds to collect themselves. Then, the shotgun sounded, and Percy leapt into the water faster than lightning. Annabeth's hand clamped onto Nico's wrist wresting between them.

"Ow!" he hissed, yanking his wrist back. "Watch yourself and your pregnant strength."

"Shut up," she hissed, watching the way Percy moved through the water like his life depended on it. He moved as one, legs and arms working at top speed individually.

"Are you okay?" Will gasped, grabbing his hand and examining it. He pressed his lips to the nail markings while simultaneously shooting Annabeth a glare.

Percy reached the turn half a body ahead of the others, turning on a dime and bolting back toward the start blocks. The others around him were pushing hard, but Percy wasn't letting up in the least. He pushed onward, and Annabeth dared to glance at the clock.

16.7

17.2

"MOVE IT, JACKSON! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OUT OF THE WATER!"

Without realizing it, Annabeth found herself screaming, jumping on her feet and yanking Leo up with her. While she took a sharp intake of breath, Percy hit the wall finally, in the length of time that felt like triple 18.49 seconds, but in reality, it was just 18.49 seconds.

He did it.

He did it.

Percy burst out of the water, tore off his goggles, and looked at his time. Then, he was springing out of the water as everyone in the stands cheered, and his entire team rushed out to him. Annabeth was right in the middle, fighting dirtily to reach him, even elbowing poor Leo in the gut to maneuver around him.

They had him in the air, slapping his butt and chanting his name when Annabeth reached him. He'd torn off his swim cap and threw it gods knew where. The moment his eyes landed on Annabeth, he scrambled out of everyone's arms, falling slightly in the process, but soon she was wrapped up in his arms and, as he'd said, getting spun around. His lips pressed firmly to her forehead, his eyes glistening as he stared at the new college record he'd just set.

"You did it, Percy," Annabeth exclaimed. "Your dumbass really did it!"

Percy spun her around in his arms, gazing down at her with pure happiness. "Feisty. I like it, babe."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, tugging on his wet locks as she tried to tone down her smile. "Congratulations, Percy. Now go celebrate with your team. You did also just win nationals."

Percy chuckled, as if he'd forgotten that fact. He set her down slowly. "Wait for me by the locker room."

"Sure," she said, smacking his ass when he turned and jumped into the mess that was his team.

Annabeth quickly removed herself from the crazy body of boys, dodging Chiron's glowering glare as she escaped back towards the locker room. The teams mopingly entered the locker room again after the award was given to Percy for the individual win. The team awards would be given at the team awards once the team changed and everyone had settled down from the celebrations.

As each team made their way into the locker room, a few star standouts were picked for interviews, and each coach was as well. It was such a whirlwind of people she feared she wouldn't be able to find Percy, but she didn't need to worry long because soon his arms were around her waist, pulling her into his embrace.

Squealing, she fell back with a smile on her face. She wasn't used to this constant contact, but she supposed that came in the contract of being his 'girlfriend.' It wasn't a bad side effect.

"Give me two seconds, okay?" Percy whispered into her ear, sending chills down her spine. Fake or not, this was doing things to her she hadn't allowed herself to feel in a long time. She nodded, still keeping her grip on his skin tight for a moment before he dashed inside the locker room. It was no secret he'd be speaking at the team award ceremony. Annabeth bit her lip, trying to push away all thoughts of the fantasies running through her mind. This was all a lie. It was not real. She wasn't actually his girlfriend.

Then, Percy was back beside her, and he was being pulled in the direction of the reports, so she followed, his hand wrapped firmly around her waist.

"How did it feel to beat the college record?"

"What did you do to prepare for this?"

"What are you next steps for your future?"

"Do you agree you're the next Michael Phelps?"

Percy handled all of those with ease – with practiced ease. His voice was excited but clear, holding back too much emotion when appropriate. Through it all, he clung on tightly to Annabeth, pinching her hip when she almost got pushed away from him.

"What did you think about right before the start? What motivated you today?"

Percy pretended to think about that for a moment, free hand running through his hair before his eyes settled on Annabeth. "What motivated me?" Percy repeated the question with a breath-taking grin. "A few months ago, I might have had a different answer, but today? All I could think about was being the best I could be for my baby on the way."

The reporters clearly weren't expecting that, and these were big name reporters. ESPN was _leading_the interview.

"Show them the baby bump, baby," Percy chuckled proudly, like he was the funniest person alive. Grinning equally as big, Annabeth turned to the side, resting her back against his chest. "Twelve weeks."

Annabeth turned back and gasped, smacking him lightly. "Twelve weeks in three days, to be exact," she corrected, to which Percy shrugged.

"This is your…girlfriend?"

Percy nodded proudly, tightening his hold around her. "Annabeth Chase. Also a great swimmer at Olympia University."

She snorted. "Not legendary like you." Then she looked at the camera. "I really shouldn't be feeding his ego like this."

"Heyyy," Percy pouted, to which she tousled his hair. "Alright, thanks you guys!"

Percy moved down the line of reporters. She was mentioned more than a few times. Percy normally was the one to initiate it. He was very proud to be a father, and soon he got half the questioned focused around the fatherhood topic, which Annabeth found ridiculous.

And insanely, amazingly humbling.

* * *

**A/N: Ik Ik it's short (see above for why) but I'll post the next one soon to make up for it! It's a good one! Ik some of you want to see more fluffy parenting/pregnant scenes of these guys, but this story is pretty heavy on the plot. If I add in random fluff, it just makes this a slow story, and I hateee those. I really can't write just fluff - it feels dumb to me, even tho I love reading straight fluff from time to time. But I'm not done, so maybe I can add in a scene or two. Epilogue for sure.**

**Now. Thoughts? WTF is going on here? yes, please tell me your concerns/confusion/feels! **

**Also, if we have any solangelo lovers here (I mean who doesn't love solangelo)...you see what I did with Solangelo in this fic? Yeah, I made a whole separate short story with them. It's decent, I think. Definitely hot, to me. I just posted a chapter and am going to update it after this, so check it outttt ;)**

**Anyways, stay tuned tomorrow or the next evening for an update and pleaseee give me feedback! I love it!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Part 10**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.**

**A/N: be prepared. That's all I have to say.**

* * *

"Have you and Percy found a place yet?" Piper asked as she tossed a piece of popcorn at Annabeth, who fell back on the couch trying to catch it.

"Nope," Annabeth said. "We're still trying to figure out what to get. If I stay here for graduate school, then we'd get a house."

Piper frowned. "Isn't Percy with Nike now? What about his training?"

Annabeth nodded. "That's the hard part. He could train here, but he'd have to work around the team's schedules."

Piper pursed her lips. "So are you thinking of going somewhere with him after this year? What about your fifth year?"

Annabeth glanced at her phone. Jason and Percy, both graduating, had to move out in order to let the sophomores move into the swim house. Since they only had so much in their small rooms, they were moving their things into their apartment for the time being until they all found a new place to stay.

"I don't know, Piper. It's like…yesterday Percy and I went to a checkup, and all I could think about was reading to her when she can't sleep and watching her first steps and just everything. Swimming doesn't seem that important to me anymore. Besides, Percy will be doing enough of it for the both of us." Piper gazed at her curiously, putting the popcorn aside. Annabeth's smile faltered, unsure what that look was supposed to convey. "What?"

With a sigh, Piper got up and put the popcorn away. "You just talk like you and Percy are together. That's all."

Annabeth waved her hand. "We definitely aren't."

"Sure. Sure," Piper said airily, making Annabeth send her a glare. "Just be careful with yourself, Annabeth. He really did a number on you before, and I find it very odd that you're pretending you're in a relationship with him."

Annabeth huffed. "It's not a big change, you know. Ever since the news was out, nobody's questioned it once. We hang out enough, and neither of us are looking for other relationships."

Piper jumped back on the couch. "Yeah. About that. That's weird, too."

Annabeth gave her a look. "Nobody is going to want to date a pregnant lady, Piper, and we know that."

Piper groaned. "Fine. For now. But you can't count that out after the baby is born! Speaking of, you said her. Is it a girl?"

"We don't know. Percy thinks it's a boy, so I'm saying it's a girl to annoy him."

They both laughed, able to envision Percy's scrunched nose of annoyance. Then, Annabeth's phone buzzed, letting them know the guys were here in Leo's borrowed truck. When they got outside of their apartment, Jason and Percy were already climbing in the back of the truck, but when they saw the girls at their door, they both waved.

They were on the second floor, unfortunately, so that meant they had a lot of carrying to do. Piper and Annabeth walked to the truck and began to help, but the moment Percy saw Annabeth grabbing a big box, he jumped over the side of the truck and go between her and the box.

"Hey!"

"Hey yourself," Percy said, taking her hands in his. "You're thirteen weeks pregnant. You should not be lifting anything heavy."

"Oh dear gods," Annabeth rolled her eyes, hands settling on her hips with flare. "You are ridiculous. A box of clothes isn't going to kill me. Besides, are we even sure I'm thirteen weeks pregnant? I barely look it!"

The baby bump was one of the smaller versions compared to other pregnant women, which concerned Percy, but Annabeth had asked the doctor many times if the baby was okay, and every time, he said it was. "Babe, please. We don't even have that much. Maybe grab the comforter bags?"

Annabeth glared at him shoving blonde waves out of her face. "Fine," she hissed, moving past him hotly and grabbing both bags of comforters and storming up the steps.

"Not at once, Annabeth! Dammit!"

Annabeth put the bags in the living room along with everything else. Despite trying to help further, Annabeth rested on the railing, watching her three friends work. She figured it was better than getting yelled at every time she tried to pick up a box. The moon was the most prominent light that led them in the dark night, and every now and then, the light caught on Percy's skin. He'd long ago shed his t-shirt in the heat of the night, and now Annabeth got full view of his muscles.

His biceps were bulging as he lifted a dresser with Jason. They seemed bigger than she remembered. Suddenly, a flashback of her clutching desperately onto his biceps as he thrust into her vigorously ran through her mind, and her body heated from the inside. Forcing her gaze away, she found Piper staring at her with a smirk, so Annabeth flipped her off, mouthing a solid, "Fuck you."

"Watch the fingers, Wise Girl. That's offensive," Percy said, bumping into her lightly as he and Jason passed.

In her mind, she had an idea of what to say. It would have been smart and witty and probably made sense. Instead, she said, "Uhm yeah." Percy's head tilted in confusion, looking her way for as long as he could before Jason shoved him through the door. The moment they disappeared, Annabeth's head fell into her hands. "Ohhh, I'm an idiot."

"You really are," Piper hissed by her ear, making Annabeth jump a mile into the air. "What has gotten into you?"

Annabeth groaned, leaning down and resting her head on the rails. "I don't knowww. I can't stop staring at him. All I want to do is lick his dick off!"

Piper sat down the two boxes she was carrying and leaned beside Annabeth, who could feel the smirk on that girl's lips. "Think it's the pregnancy?"

Annabeth paused, thinking about it for only half a second and then deciding she didn't care. "Yes, it's absolutely the pregnancy, but it's so much stronger than I thought."

Piper laughed, rubbing her back affectionately. "You're strong. Keep holding out. You'll find a double room apartment within the next two weeks."

Annabeth jumped up and glared at Piper. "Two weeks of being insanely, undeniably attracted to him while sleeping beside him Piper! This is a recipe for disaster! I don't -,"

"Ladies," Percy said as he exited the apartment again, Jason on his tail. "Looking beautiful as ever."

"Thanks," Annabeth hissed, eyes following Percy as he walked past. Piper elbowed her. "I'm dead for, aren't I?"

"Oh definitely," Piper snorted. "Just pound on the wall and let us know when to turn on some loud music tonight, okay?"

With that, she scampered inside. "I hate you!" Annabeth shouted, turning back to the rails and watching Percy pick up a box, forearms rippling. Then he turned his back to her and his back muscles alone made her cheeks turn scarlet.

It took them just under half an hour to get everything loaded into their apartment. It was only slightly aggravating knowing they'd have to move it all somewhere else in under two weeks. Once finished, the entire living room was full and Piper was leaning heavily against Jason.

"I'm glad our partying days are over," Jason chuckled, looking at the many boxes looming over them.

"Speak for yourself," Piper huffed. "Alright, we're going to bed. Night guys."

Annabeth took one glance at the couch, which was full of appliances, and motioned to her room. They really had no other options aside from the small kitchen. "Can we look at cribs?" Percy asked, grabbing his discarded shirt.

Annabeth fell on the bed, cushioning the blow to her stomach and gazing at Percy. "To do that we need to figure out a theme for his nursery."

"Oh. We-,"

"But to do that, we need to figure out what his room will look like."

Percy faltered. "Right…baby names?"

His sudden change of topics gave her anxiety a relief. A smile broke across her face as she crawled up and rested next to him, leaning slightly against him. It was purely for his body radiating heat. It had nothing to do with how his touch seemed to relieve this ache growing inside her core.

"I like that idea," Annabeth breathed, head resting on his shoulder and eyes focusing on the poster of New York. "Girls first."

Percy laughed fully, hand wrapping around her shoulders and shaking her slightly. "You're _so _funny, Annabeth Chase, because we both know we're having a boy! But sure, let's get the names we're not – ow!"

She pulled her hand back from his side that she'd easily pinched. "Aquamarine."

"Oh my gods," Percy laughed, rolling over and folding himself into her side. "You're joking."

Biting her lip, she giggled, "Maybeee."

"Well, I actually like Mariana," Percy stuck his tongue out. "Thoughts?"

"It's beautiful," Annabeth agreed. She'd never given much thought to baby names before. It was always something that would be in her far future. Now that it was happening, it seemed so real she couldn't dare to decide something so permanent for a person. "I liked Cerebella, but not as much anymore."

"No, I like that, too, except we'd just end up calling her Sara." Percy said.

"So Mariana?" Annabeth's hands started running up and down his arm. Curse those damn biceps.

"Mariana," Percy grinned. "That was easy. Now for a boy."

"What about Elijah?"

Percy's eyes seemed to leave earth from how far they jumped out of his head. "Elijah? Do we want him to be bullied forever?"

"It's classy, Percy!"

"It's snobby, Annabeth."

"Well, with the Nike contract you're about to sign, our baby will definitely get spoiled, by you at least."

"No. Just…what about Connor?"

"I broke the arm of a kid named Conner in elementary school and had to write all his papers for punishment while he put gum in my hair. No."

"Jace?"

"Chance."

"Michael."

"Louis."

The argument went on and on until Annabeth felt her eyes beginning to cross. She fell face first into Percy's stomach, smothering her mouth. "I'm so over this, Percy. We have to do something else."

His laughter caused her body to shake. "Want to cuddle before I shower?" Pouting, Annabeth shoved him off her so she could turn around and be the little spoon. Percy chuckled, wrapping himself around her easily. "So difficult."

Annabeth's smile stayed plastered to her face. His arms were comforting, securing. It seemed to soothe the ache in her body for more for a few minutes until her mind started running through past events. She remembered so many times where this lead to sex. As much as she hated herself for it, she whispered in a quiet voice that was barely audible, "Hey, do you remember the second time we had sex?"

Percy's hands ran up and down her cheek, and she leaned into the contact. "What about it?"

Annabeth chuckled, trying to distract herself from the memories that refused to leave her mind. Her body was tingling, itching to feel something more than just his arms around her. "You asked me to come over just to cuddle."

Percy snorted. "Yeah. I was drunk. Even I didn't know I had ulterior motives."

Annabeth smiled softly. It was cute, really. She didn't have anything else to say, so instead she tried her hardest to fall asleep, but his hands kept touching her. It was comforting, now brushing back and forth along her collarbone. Her body was literally tingling.

It took only two minutes for her to turn around, winding her hands around his neck and pulling herself flush against him. Her eyes connected with Percy's green ones, that were both curious and slightly dilated. When she slipped her leg between two of his, she could understand why. He had a semi. Percy opened his mouth to apologize, but Annabeth didn't give him the chance.

Her lips crashed against his with more force than either of them was used to. It kind of hurt, really, but she didn't care. He tasted like the sea, salty but so fresh and cool. At first, he didn't kiss back, but then she poked her tongue along his lower lip. Within half a second, Percy surged forward and rolled her to her back, hovering over her as he kissed her with as much vigor as she had before.

"What are we doing?" Percy spoke into the kiss, not daring to stop. Her fingers clawed down his back, feeling how tight his back muscles were and making her body jerk to life. She wanted him. She wanted him so badly.

"Please, Percy," Annabeth gasped, pulling his lower body directly to hers. "Please fuck me."

Percy groaned, pulling away and letting his forehead fall against her chest. It didn't deter her, though. She began kissing his ear, licking and poking and making Percy press against her delectably.

"I thought you didn't want this anymore," Percy whispered, eyes searching hers as he pulled back.

"Obviously, I want this," Annabeth struggled her best to pull him back down, but he didn't budge, so she turned to desperate measures. "I am really, really horny, Percy. Are you seriously going to say no?"

Percy leaned down and pecked her lips. "It's just the pregnancy, Annabeth. I don't want you regretting this later."

Annabeth took a second to consider his words before deciding that, yes, she was insulted. She roughly pushed him back and sat up, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "Gods, you're an ass. I'm not going to regret it. I've never regretted it."

Percy pursed her lips, inching closer and resting his hand on above her knee hesitantly. "You said you don't want to try to be together. You said you didn't want to do _this_anymore. I don't get where this would fall."

Annabeth took a breath. She knew her irritation was slightly out of line here. She knew it wasn't totally called for bearing in mind that Percy was only trying to be considerate here, but she was so frustrated and horny and Percy was not giving her what she wanted.

There was a lot going on in her mind at the moment. She didn't know why, but things were different now. She didn't know when they changed, but they did. However, maybe Percy had a point. Maybe she didn't have as much control of her emotions as she felt she did right now.

"You ended fucking around last time, so I get that the pregnancy wouldn't change that, but-,"

"I ended it?" Annabeth asked in disbelief, turning to Percy with wide eyes. "You ended it!"

Percy scoffed. "You're the one who didn't stay over the last time."

"Because you were so indifferent about it. You're the one who stopped asking me to come over."

Percy tossed his hands up. "Because you didn't stay over!" Annabeth blinked. She hadn't thought of that before. "Did you not leave because you were done with us having sex?"

Her heart constricted, and she suddenly felt so stupid. This was her fault. Well, it was a jumble of miscommunication, but ultimately, she'd started this. She caused herself a lot more pain than needed, although she had a bad feeling she would have felt even more pain if they had continued having sex.

"No," Annabeth fell over, letting her head rest between her legs. "I left because I thought I annoyed you when I stayed over."

Percy lifted her head up, forcing her to look him in his open green eyes. "Why the hell would you think that?" Before Annabeth could respond, Percy kept talking animatedly. "I get to feel your gorgeous body all night long. Sometimes, I get to have morning sex. Annabeth, I literally told you I hate sleeping alone!"

When it was laid out like that, she did sound dumb for thinking such a thing. She knew he hated sleeping alone, but sometimes, he drifted away from her during the night and didn't fully hug her back when she initiated it. But it wasn't even just that.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling like her eyes were getting too wet. "I'm just used to it, I guess. I mean…there has to be reasons why guys haven't wanted something serious with me before, you know? I just always assumed I annoyed them or something."

"Annabeth," Percy said sadly, like that hurt his heart along with hers. "That – that's not it. You could never be annoying. I thought you said you never wanted a relationship with anyone before."

Now, Annabeth's eyes really were wet, and her nose was beginning to run. She couldn't meet his eyes, but she didn't protest when he pulled her into his side. "Basically, but there were a few guys in my past that I would have dated. But all they wanted was sex."

Percy hugged her tighter. "Annabeth…"

"You're one of them, so your words of comfort aren't going to do much good," Annabeth sniffed, wiping her nose and trying to break free of his arms. This time, he let her separate, but his eyes stayed glued to hers.

"What?"

Annabeth shrugged. "Why do you think I didn't initiate sex after we found out I'm pregnant? I was scared of getting attached to you again…still kind of am."

But she made the mistake of looking over at him. His eyes were teetering on the edge, as if he was scared of having too much hope all at once. "Then why did you say no to going out for real?" Percy's hands clutched one of hers between his, squeezing tightly as if to keep her from escaping. "I had no idea you actually felt that way about me."

That last sentence ripped her from her delusions. She yanked her hand back and stared with a cold gaze at him. "Because you're just settling for me, Percy! Like I said before, if you'd wanted me, you would have gone after me. I'm your second choice, and that does not make for a healthy relationship!"

"You're not my second choice, Annabeth," Percy growled, eyes hardened like they did only when he was serious and concerned. "You and I? We weren't in the right places for a relationship. You weren't looking for anything, and neither was I. But now that we're becoming parents…sleeping around with random girls seems so pointless, Annabeth. I don't just want anyone anymore. I want you. I want you, who's so insanely smart I'd never begin to understand what you're doing. I want you, who gets me even when I don't. I want you, who's secretly such an adorable nerd."

Annabeth snorted, wiping her nose in embarrassment. She'd always dreamed of hearing just a fraction of these words from Percy. Actually hearing them made her laugh. There was no way he was being serious. There was no way he could speak so eloquently. No way…

"Percy…what are you saying?" Annabeth's voice was as silent as a mouse, and she nearly choked on her words. Percy moved closer, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I know I'm not smart enough for you, and you definitely deserve better, but we work so well together. You're all I think about. So…if there's any way you feel the same about me, please give me a chance. I swear, you could never be anyone's second choice. I am _so_sorry it took me so long to realize how much I want you, but I know now. Even back then, I wanted you more than I realized. Now? Now I want you so badly, Annabeth, and if you can give me one more chance, I promise I won't blow it."

Her mind was spinning. She thought back to the times before, to the many times she felt ignored by Percy or unimportant to him, when he'd be impartial to her coming over or put her off until he was finished with his other friends. She remembered the pain accompanied with all those times. However, she also remembered that the last time she felt hurt by Percy was months ago. Recently, she felt seen by him. She felt wanted by him.

She took a shaky breath. "This isn't because we're having a baby together?"

Percy shook his head earnestly. "It looks that way, I know, but getting pregnant just made me realize how stupid I was."

Her teeth gnawed on her lip, and now tears slipped out of her eyes. "Percy Jackson, look what you've done to a poor pregnant woman. Reducing her to tears. How dare you?"

Percy's scared expression slipped into a small, hopeful smile. "If you keep crying, I'm taking that as a yes to going out with me."

"You're such an ass," Annabeth smacked him and then continued to wipe at her tears. "It's the pregnancy."

Percy grinned for a split second before rolling over and pulling Annabeth down so he hovered above her. "You've experienced a lot of the bad side effects of pregnancy. Let me show you some of the good ones."

Annabeth sniffed amongst her fit of giggles. "Which are?"

"Endless orgasms."

Her eyes traveled swiftly to those glistening, mischievous green eyes. "Endless is a lot. You better get started," she snorted, holding out her hands, one over the other. He raised an eyebrow while moving closer, one hand resting on her hip beneath her shirt, the other moving to caress her face. "What? Just because I'm pregnant you think we're having vanilla sex? Fuck no. Tie me up and fuck me like you mean it."

Percy smirked. "I can do that," he said in a low voice as he rolled over top of her. "Wait here, babe." It took him a solid two minutes to rummage through the boxes in the living room until he found his ties. Annabeth sat up in anticipation. Percy stood at the foot of her bed, eyes scanning over her body in ways he hadn't let himself do in months. "Clothes off."

Annabeth's hands moved to the hem of her shirt, but then she stopped. "Um, maybe I should leave my shirt on. My stomach and all-,"

Percy scowled, gripping her ankles and yanking her forward, causing her to squeal. He leaned over her, hands slowly pulling down her underwear. "I said," he growled, eyes daring her to challenge a single word he said. "Clothes off. You're beautiful."

"I'm getting fat," Annabeth snorted, blushing in embarrassment.

Percy scoffed. "You're pregnant. With _our _baby. That's hot. It's so hot. Okay?" Even though Percy loved to joke around, sometimes even in bed, but not now. His jaw was clenched, and he didn't look away for a second, as if Annabeth had angered him by protesting. Reluctantly, she nodded. "Good."

Without further warning, Percy captured her lips in his own. They kissed fast and hard, tongues running along each other with vigor. It was like they'd spent years apart and were finally reunited – they practically did. His body fell on top of hers, lightly, but enough to send desire coursing through her. She grinded her hips upward, moaning as she felt his hardened member rolling against her core.

"Percy," Annabeth gasped loudly as he broke the kiss to move to her neck. It felt like she'd never been kissed there before. His hot breath moved down to her toes between each open mouth kiss he placed.

"What was that?" Percy faltered, eyes connecting with hers and making her wrap her legs around his waist, pulling him against her with desperation. As if knowing his effect on her, Percy lightly nipped her collar bone and breathed out slowly, moving all across her neck.

"Daddy," Annabeth whimpered, body constricting. "Please. Please, I'm – now! Please!"

Percy raised an eyebrow. "You're – already?" Annabeth groaned, falling back on the bed in frustration. He chuckled smugly, and any other time that he body wasn't alive with energy, Annabeth would have smacked the smirk off his lips. "Never mind. Shouldn't be surprised. You're always wet for me."

Annabeth shuddered, and then Percy's hands pulled off both their shirts. Her hands clawed at his back, feeling his muscles she'd missed so dearly as Percy suddenly flicked his tongue over her right nipple. As if he couldn't help himself, Percy's hand snuck under her bottoms, fingers tracing around her most sensitive areas.

"Yes!" she shouted, no longer in control of her volume. There was this haze taking over her quickly, and she wanted it so bad. This was what she'd been missing. Finally, Percy's fingers pushed inside her, curling repeatedly and causing her whole body to tense so profoundly that sent her over the edge with a deep, "Ohmygodspercyyyy."

Percy pulled back, watching Annabeth as her body settled down from her first orgasm. Her eyes were still hooded and glazed over. "I barely even fingered-," Annabeth shuddered, feeling an after-shock run through her. "Never mind. You're perfect, baby."

Without wasting more time, Percy took his ties and tied her wrists and ankles to the bedposts. When he was done, he looked over the bed, pleasure taking over his eyes completely. "Gonna be good for me, Annabeth?"

She shook her head quickly, too eager to even pretend she wouldn't do anything he asked. Percy got up, walking slowly with darkened eyes. "Give me your wrists," he demanded, voice deep. Annabeth whimpered in anticipation as she gave him both of her wrists. Then, he tied them to the bars of the headboard. After pulling off her bottoms, he tied each ankle to the bedposts, making Annabeth wetter by just that alone.

"Daddy," Annabeth whispered, pulling against her restraints. "Please."

"Please what, baby?" Percy asked as he crawled over her body, fingers trailing up her thighs. His hands gripped her ass, giving it a light smack as best he could with her on her back.

"Please fuck me, Daddy," Annabeth arched her back upwards. Percy hovered by her legs, smug as he surveyed her body withering for him.

"You like being tied up, don't you?" Percy asked as he lightly licked at her opening. "You like me having all the control over you? Naughty girl, Annabeth."

Annabeth's body was on fire. He pressed kisses up her stomach, to her chest, and against her throat. Finally, he kissed her lips again, their tongues swirling around the other hotly, fast paced and lust filled. Percy lined himself up against her, pulling away to look into her eyes.

"You're so good for me, baby," Percy said in a rough voice, and then he pushed inside of her.

"OH Percy," Annabeth whined, pulling against the restraints and filling her head with a haze when she couldn't do more.

"What's my name?" Percy stilled, balls deep inside her, refusing to move as he waited for her eyes to come back to his. She felt herself slipping away, and she was desperate for it. Her skin was clammy and white, and the only thing she could focus on was Percy.

"D-daddy," Annabeth squirmed, unable to form words properly, but that was enough for Percy because the next thing she knew, he was slamming inside her with so much force her whole body moved backwards. "Fuck! Yes!"

She was screaming now, but she didn't care. Percy gripped her hips and pulled her to him with every thrust. Her head was so heavy now, so full of this haze that was pushing her further into oblivion. She could feel every movement inside her. The grunts and groans coming from Percy made her body feel alive. He lowered himself, kissing her lips like they were the last succulent piece of candy alive. His tongue fought for dominance, and Annabeth had to give up, feeling her body wind up again as he moved inside her at a different angle, hitting a spot that sent her whole world crashing into another dimension.

"Percy!" she screamed, fighting against the restraints with all her energy, desperate to feel Percy as she came violently. Somehow sensing this, Percy let his body fall against hers, sucking on her jaw in ways that refused to let her feel alone in that moment. "Fuck, fuck, oh my gods, Percy."

Percy reached a hand down and rubbed her clit, sending her into a second wave of orgasm, back to back. Her mouth opened in a moan, but she was unable to make any sound as her whole vision was overtaken with black. After a tense minute, Annabeth finally fell back into her body, relaxing slightly into the bed as Percy kissed her neck, thrusting inside her at a sporadic pace. She could barely feel her lips, but she knew Percy was close, so she let out a low moan.

"Come in me," she sighed. "Please, Daddy…"

Percy gave a loud groan, face burying in her chest as he came. "Fuck, baby," he muttered after a minute, pulling away just enough to look into her dazed eyes. A pleased smile graced his lips. When he pulled out, Annabeth shivered. "You with me, Annabeth?"

It felt like she couldn't see – she couldn't see anything but Percy gazing down at her. Slowly, she shook her head, causing Percy to chuckle, leaning down and pecking her lips until her eyes fluttered open more widely. "Hello, beautiful."

Annabeth sighed deeply. "Hiiii."

Percy smiled that crooked smile that always made her heart race, even now when she was exhausted. He moved off her with one more kiss to untie her hands and ankles. Once free, Annabeth grabbed at his biceps, pulling him down next to her. He chuckled, nuzzling into her neck and wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her into him.

"Gods, I missed that," Percy sighed. "Do you want to shower?"

Annabeth shook her head. "No. I want to sleep. With you."

Percy snickered, tightening his hold on her. "We just did that, babe."

Annabeth groaned, raising her hand and slapping him weakly. "Shut the fuck up, Seaweed Brain."

"There's my Wise Girl."

* * *

**A/N: anddddd there's the sex. ooo ooo! so like I said before, I've read about subspaces before, but not an expert. ANYwaysss what did you all think about it? Good or bad? I don't write a ton of smut, but when I do sometimes I throw in some kinks and such, which may distract the story a bit, but I really can't get a sex scene through without it, lol. Not my fav thing to write, but I like it in the stories, so it's a give and take. **

**Did you think it was good timing? What do you want to see next? This is a big one bc I'm still trying to write the ending, and I need cute ideas! Leave me some love, please, and I'll try to update soon! **


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

**A/N: Hello world. Yes, I am alive, and I'm horrible for making you wait so long! I've been busy with school, and honestly writing other stories. I just didn't have the baby-fever coursing through me anymore, so it made writing a pregnancy story harder. But it's back fresh and clear, so get ready for another chapter hopefully within the week!**

* * *

"It's so fucking hot," Annabeth groaned, pulling the dress down her body again. "I'm going to flash people, Percy."

Percy chuckled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and rubbing her slightly until she shrugged him off. "Just don't bend over. I feel like you can't anyways with your stomach."

"Don't call me fat," Annabeth hissed, but the bite in her tone was only half there. Percy chuckled, fixing his tie as they walked inside the banquet hall. "Why are we here again?"

"Because Nike gives this for all their top sponsors every year," Percy muttered. "Do you need to pee? We're at the front, so if we get up in the middle of it, it's kind of obvious."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. She was well into her third trimester. It was only a month into the fall semester, but she didn't have much of a break between summer classes and this semester, and this was not exactly the place she wanted to be.

"I don't need to pee, thanks," she huffed. "But why do I need to be here?"

"Because you're my loving girlfriend," Percy darted over and pressed his lips to her cheek. "And I'll eat you out for however long my speech is later."

Annabeth was about to say something snarky like 'you better,' but then she spotted Percy's picture flit across the slide show at the front of the room. He was mid breast stroke, and he looking gorgeous. His arms were rippling under the lights, and then the picture changed to Percy holding up the national first place trophy with the biggest grin on his face. Before she could comment, the slide changed and Percy pulled her over to their seats. It took the weight off her aching feet.

"Percy, I'm kidding, you know," Annabeth grabbed at his hand. "This is amazing. You're amazing."

Percy grinned, giving her hand a squeeze. "I know, babe. How are your feet?"

Annabeth waved a hand. She knew she'd been kind of a hassle lately. The third trimester came with a lot of worse side effects. "Percy, I'm fine. This is about you tonight."

"I don't-,"

"Percy Jackson! There you are!" Came a gruff voice from behind them. The man was on stage, but he briskly walked down the side stairs and sat in the chair beside Annabeth. "And you must be the girlfriend. We've heard so much about you, Annabeth."

It made her a little lighter knowing that Percy talked about her from time to time. He and his agent, Grover Underwood, negotiated the sponsorship a few weeks after Percy and she actually started dating. According to Grover, Percy wouldn't sign anything until they made a clause to give Annabeth medical benefits during her pregnancy and a year after, which ended up being a big help compared to her shitty previous healthcare. So she knew he thought of her, which was a weird concept in and of itself, but she had no idea she talked about her.

"That's me," she offered her hand, and he shook it enthusiastically.

"Annabeth, this is my personal Nike representative, Bob." Percy grinned. "Tell her your latest idea, Bob."

Bob's eyes got really big. "Oh! We were thinking of doing a photoshoot for the baby and you two! Throw on a cute little Nike workout outfit for the baby and do some exercise shots. I think it'll be great!"

Annabeth blinked, nodding along as Bob continued to dish out baby ideas. Clearly, Percy wanted to run them all by her because Bob didn't stop talking until the program began. Right as food was served, Bob was called away and Grover came and took his place.

"Oh my gods, Annabeth! You're huge!" Grover exclaimed as he stuffed his face with the salad. Annabeth kicked him under the table.

"Focus on the program!"

Percy scooted his chair closer, nuzzling his face into her neck and silently whispering, "You look amazing, Wise Girl. Do you feel amazing?"

Annabeth considered the question, no matter how odd it was. She forced Percy to rate five different dresses for tonight before she chose one. She wanted to go for Percy's classy girlfriend who was certainly mother material. However, Percy and Piper outvoted her. They said she should pull out all the stops and show that she could be a smoking hot pregnant girlfriend.

"I feel amazing," she said despite feeling the baby moving and suddenly pushing on her bladder. She made a little squeak, but it went unnoticed as their entrees came out. She could hold it. The video playing as they ate highlighted all of Nike's top athletes, and she really didn't want to leave and miss Percy's training highlights.

Summer had been a little rough. At first, he trained nearby using their college pool. However, he had to start using Olympic sized pools for competitions, so he began going on week long trips to a training facility four hours away. Between that and her summer classes she crammed in, they really didn't get to spend as much time as she wanted together. Starting a new relationship by moving in together would have been unconventional had it not been for their offset schedules, so she supposed there was an upside to that.

Regardless of their limited time together, it was impossible not to grow closer. Every night Percy came home, they talked for hours. She'd fill him in on the latest movements and discoveries of pregnancy, and he'd fill her in on all the ideas and plans he had for them. At this point, they spoke in such detail Annabeth had already designed them two different houses for some time in the future.

Watching her body grow was annoying, but seeing Percy react to her body's growth was heart-warming. The small changes she didn't notice were always the things that gave him the most amusement, and every big moment lit up his eyes more than she'd ever seen before.

As they began the speeches for each major athlete, her mind drifted back to the first time she felt him kick. Percy had been away training, but it was late enough for him to be in his room, so she facetimed him and prayed the baby would do it again. When she facetimed him, she woke him up, but he swore he didn't care. Near tears, he'd stayed up for an entire hour hoping the baby would move again. It was all futile. However, he hurried home two days later, and by then, after sitting through one and a half movies while Annabeth studied, his face pressed against her stomach, he felt the baby kick.

"I – I felt him! Babe! Oh my gods, he's really in there. He's really growing!"

"It might be a she, Percy!"

When it came to finding out the gender, neither of them wanted to know. They told Sally, though, so she could spread the word to anyone giving them baby gifts. It worked well because Annabeth was really too busy to have a day-long baby shower like she'd heard horror stories of. Instead, Sally collected the gifts and opened them on her own before sending the gender-neutral gifts to them. Sally would keep all the clothes and decorations for after the delivery. Annabeth was honestly shocked nobody managed to spoil the secret.

"Look! It's Tiger Woods!" Percy jolted her back to the ceremony, hands shaking her body and making her gasp as a hint of pee threatened to escape her bladder. She'd been pregnant for many months now, but it still surprised her when the sudden maddening urge to pee aroused.

"Shit, I have to pee," she whispered, looking at Percy with alarm. His eyes went wide before an amused smile took over his lips.

"Of course you do," he took her hand and pressed his lips against the back of it. "Hurry, if you can. I'm on after him." He said it giddily, and she definitely understood. Percy, it turned out, was truly meant to be a dad because he was a decent golf fan. He couldn't swing a club to save his life, but he watched it religiously.

"I won't miss you. Trust me."

"That's what you said about the pee."

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain."

Annabeth, in fact, did not make it back to see him. Well, she didn't manage to make it back before he was called on stage. She'd probably already flashed an entire table while sneaking out amid Tiger's speech, so she decided to just stay on the side and watch from there. Percy wouldn't be able to see her, but hopefully he heard her clapping at the end.

"-can't thank Nike enough. This has been an amazing year for me…" Percy looked over the podium at the table. Grover held a thumbs up in encouragement, and Percy's smile only grew as he gazed over her empty seat. "As many of you know, I'm about to become a father. When I found out, the rational part of me worried I'd get too distracted to stay competitive, but then I competed at nationals. The night before, I was so nervous I could barely breathe, so my amazing girlfriend distracted me with baby talk. Names. Outfits. Babyproofing. The works."

Annabeth snorted into her mouth, trying to hide her smile. She remembered that night. It was one of the many times she'd be so tempted to kiss him. Pregnancy hormones were real, and she prided herself on staying away from Percy for so long.

"I've never been so focused during a meet in my life," Percy chuckled. "Annabeth's in the bathroom right now – pregnancy problems, am I right?" Annabeth swore the entire room laughed. She definitely saw Tiger Woods laugh. She'd have to tell him that. "But when I say this has been an amazing year, I'm talking about more things than just a win or two. I finally managed to make the woman I've been in love with since she dropped a dumbbell on my foot mine. And with that woman, I'm starting a family." He took a shuddering breath as there was a soft 'aw' throughout the crowd. His eyes once again glanced at her seat, and she immediately felt bad for not being there. There was no making her way there between the shock in her body and tears in her eyes. "I'm talking about finding more motivation than I thought possible. I won division 1 nationals not in spite of my future daughter, but _for _my future daughter. To give her reason to be proud. To inspire her. And I intend to win gold at the next year's Olympics for her, too."

Percy received a standing ovation.

He thanked everyone briefly and began to get off the stage, but then he remembered something and ran back to the podium. "Oh, um, Annabeth doesn't know that I know we're having a girl, so if we could keep this hush-hush, we might save me from bodily harm. Thanks!"

With the chorus of laughter, Annabeth felt fine walking briskly toward her table. Percy had just stepped off the stage as she did so, eyes wide at the sight of her so soon. "Ohhh shit…"

"Percy Jackson, you big jerk!" she shouted, slapping her purse against his chest as she flung herself into his arms. It was a hard feat with her large stomach, but they'd perfected it by now. Percy wrapped his arms around her and moved to her side as she tucked her head against his chest. She was crying. She was crying very much. Her whole chest felt like it was tight with emotion. "I hate you so much."

Percy laughed nervously while running a hand down her hair. "My mom can't lie, babe! I'm sorry!"

She pulled back and wiped at her eyes with one hand as the crowd continued laughing. That was when she realized she had one hand fisting the collar of his shirt. Flushing, she dropped it and rested her head against her chest, "Oh my gods, we're having a girl."

Percy's smile was enough to stop time. "We're having a girl," he flushed, pressing his lips to her forehead firmly. Everyone seemed to be settling down, so Annabeth finally broke away enough to take her seat, scooting closer to Percy to revel in their news.

He scooted directly beside her and wrapped a hand around her waist far enough to rest over her large stomach that was poorly hidden under her tight black dress. Annabeth had so much rushing through her mind. He said so much in that speech. It was more than she'd heard from him before. It was so much more serious than he was most of the time, which was ironic considering there were endless amounts of time she begged him to be more serious.

She didn't say anything, though. Instead, she basked as more people gushed about her boyfriend. He was pretty amazing, after all.

. . .

Annabeth watched Percy as he wove through traffic. They'd stayed late after the banquet so they could apologize to the Nike team, but they weren't upset in the least. In fact, they told Percy and Annabeth to talk to their PR team to possibly become a famous power couple. Apparently, that opened up a lot of brand deals for them to sign to. Annabeth didn't like the idea of selling their personal lives for money, but she and Percy only shared a look and nodded politely. At least they were on the same page there.

By the time Percy pulled into the driveway, it was pouring rain so hard she couldn't even see the front door of their condo. It pounded against the car so loudly it created a lull, pulling words out of Annabeth's mouth before she could think.

"So you love me."

Percy leaned back in his seat, face turning ninety degrees to stare at her. Face burning, she stared at the roof of the car, heart racing in anticipation of his answer.

"Yep."

"Kind of you to inform me of that," Annabeth snorted ruefully.

Percy grabbed her wrist in a soft gesture. "Hey Annabeth? I love you."

Finally, she turned her head to him, a wry grin on her face. "Romantic." Despite trying to humor, her breath came out shakily. Percy's thumb caressed her skin in a way that should have put her at ease, but all it did was make her heart race. "You don't love me."

"Why did I know that was coming?" Percy groaned, pressing his hand to his face. "Please, tell me why you believe I don't love you when I've said twice now that I do."

Annabeth's lips twitched at the cute, confused expression on Percy's face. It was similar to one that used to be common, back when she'd start talking about math. She quickly learned that conversation would always be one sided, but it was useful when she wanted to see Percy get all cute and cuddly. Now, though, the concern in his eyes tainted the expression.

"You just – you can't," Annabeth shrugged. "I'm having your baby. The sex has been amazing…but it's just the honeymoon phase."

Percy took a minute to respond, as if her words were unsettling. "Not that I'm complaining, babe, but I don't think cleaning your vomit off the floor while you threw shoes at me 'because I made you so fat' was part of the honeymoon phase."

Annabeth huffed indignantly. That was a really rough date night. He'd cooked steak for them, but the moment she walked through the door after an exhausting day of studying, she puked and began angry crying.

"And what was that bullshit about falling in love with me when I dropped a dumbbell on your foot? That was my sophomore year!" Percy smiled sheepishly, looking all around the car as his cheeks grew colorful. "You were with Rachel then."

"I know," he snorted, running a hand through his hair. "I'd been with her for over a year, but I was losing interest. It was never like this. We didn't connect as much. We're very different, you know."

Annabeth rolled her eyes. Rachel and he had always been a surprising couple to Annabeth. Rachel was artistic and eccentric with big ideas and dreams. Percy was athletic and caring with enough confidence to send him on his way. He was very chill, never caring if he stayed inside all day watching movies or if he went cliff jumping. The only thing Rachel and he had in common was their impulsive actions, but even then they differed. Rachel _tried_to be spontaneous. Percy just was, never knowing what to do next until he was doing it.

That was an amusing trait in him that Annabeth tried to manage without getting a headache. She liked planning. Percy needed planning, really. Sometimes she went along with his impulsivity, but they normally balanced each other out well.

"And sophomore year was when we actually became friends. And I just ignored that I liked hanging out with you more than Rachel because we had a lot of history. Besides, we were just friends," Percy rambled, making Annabeth think back to their beginning. "But when you dropped the dumbbell on my foot and looked at me with the cutest, smuggest smirk, I knew. I knew I'd always want that smile in my life."

Annabeth shook her head, trying to keep her heart from convulsing. "That was over a year before you broke up with Rachel…"

Percy nodded. "Yeah, but we were so serious. Like I said, we had history. I kind of felt obligated to try with her."

Annabeth pursed her lips. "I guess that's not the worst thing." Percy shrugged. She didn't want to admit it, but she honestly his confession made her feel more than special or loved. It gave her relief because, despite having feelings for another girl, Percy had tried with Rachel. He didn't just give up. The thought made tears prick at her eyes.

"Annabeth? What's wrong?" Percy leaned over the console and gripped her chin gently to turn her eyes to his.

She snorted, wiping at her eyes as tears ran down her cheeks. "I just," she groaned, closing her eyes and trying to sum her feelings up into words. "Most guys would give up or cheat. You…you didn't."

Before she said another word, Percy got out of the car and rounded to her side. The rain immediately soaked him, but that didn't deter him in the least. He opened her door and squatted, clutching her hand. The rain plastered his jet-black hair to his forehead, and it was the cutest thing ever. His eyes were sparkling as he stared at her like she was the only star in his galaxy.

"I'll never give up on you, Annabeth Chase. I'll never give up on us. I knew from the moment we first talked we worked together. I knew I loved you when you dropped that weight on my foot, and I haven't questioned it since. I tried to, a lot. I tried to forget about you when I was with Rachel, and when I went out and tried to chat up some girls. And when we hooked up? Well, you said you wanted to keep it causal, and I _thought _I did, but really, you were the only girl I could think about. So you have to believe me when I say you're it for me. You're my future - you and our little girl, and I'll never stop fighting for our family."

Annabeth's breath turned cold. Percy stared at her, blinking out the rain and focusing solely on her. Annabeth wasn't one to be stunned into silence, but she felt like she couldn't breathe. His words struck a chord in her. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that what Percy said was true. She didn't want to believe it for the sole reason that she'd normally never believe such things. All her life, she'd had hook ups. There never once had been a guy to call her special -to say she meant more to her than anyone else – and truly mean it. Really, she'd never meant so much to anyone in her life. Her mother had her work and other distractions and kept minimal contact since Annabeth turned 18. Her father died before she could remember. No matter what any guy said, she never once believed them, knowing they were just trying to get in her pants.

She also never actually felt moved by their words.

Now, she felt tears flow more freely than before. Without another second wasted, Annabeth flung herself forward, slamming her lips onto Percy's. "You're it for me, too, Percy," Annabeth spoke against his lips, nipping at him before she pulled back to look into his eyes. Slowly, a crooked smile grew on his lips, and his green eyes lit up in the night sky.

"Gods, I love you," Percy immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and pulling her into his arms. A delighted laugh escaped her lips as he carried her bridal style into their apartment.

And hours later, after an hour of exhausting, loving, softer sex than they'd ever had before, Percy had Annabeth cradled in his arms, breathing in the scent of her shampoo from her newly washed hair as she was half asleep when she mumbled against his chest, "We're family."

And Percy found that couldn't be more true.

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**A/N: how did you all like it? I am working on the last chapter right now. it is basically an epilogue because, as you can tell, the plot is mostly done. I'm so sorry for not updating for so long! Please leave me your thoughts! Feel free to annoy me if I don't update soon! Also, the side story of Nico and Will is finished if you were interested. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

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Percy's first meet came during finals week, but his second tournament was a week after. Annabeth technically graduated, but she decided to skip the graduation ceremony for two reasons. First, she didn't want to miss her most likely only chance at seeing Percy's first swims as a professional athlete. Secondly, she really didn't feel like wobbling across stage in her graduation gown looking like a cow. As Percy reminded her, she'd have another graduation when she completes her graduate program.

"I really don't like you traveling so far," Percy groaned as he tossed more items into a bag. "It will be on TV. You can watch it safely from here where Piper can take you to the hospital in a second's notice."

Annabeth snorted. "This is the national swim meet babe. I'm coming."

Their bags were already packed. Percy was just being overbearing, thinking that they needed to have a baby bag ready. She wasn't due for three more weeks. They'd be fine. Nike offered to fly him out there, and Annabeth agreed. Driving four hours was not ideal. They were lucky they were only one state over.

"It's not like there aren't hospitals where we're going," Annabeth huffed, arching her back to try and relieve some pain. Instantly, Percy was there, dropping all baby go-bags and pressing his hands into her shoulder blades. Her lower back pain had now traveled to her upper back and shoulders. A soft sigh escaped her lips, and she naturally fell back into him. "Your hands do magical things in so many places."

Percy chuckled smugly as he pressed a sudden kiss to her neck. She shuddered. "My hands can change places if you'd just-,"

"Nope," she huffed, beginning to step away only to be pulled back into his chest. His hands wrapped around her enormous stomach protectively in a familiar fashion. She'd miss this once the baby was born. "Too big. Too ugly. Too hairy."

Percy scoffed. "I don't care about that, Annabeth. I've told you." She shook her head, closing her eyes as she reminisced in the great sex they had before she could no longer shave or begin to see down there. It was a miracle she could reach well enough to clean with a washcloth daily. "What if I just finger you? Nothing else. I won't even look."

"Percy. No. Just a few more weeks." It was a lie. She knew it'd be a long time after the baby was born before she was medically cleared for any sexual activity. It was one of the more upsetting things she'd asked about at parenting classes.

"It's been a whole week since I've touched you," Percy whined. "But fine."

"I can give you a blowjob," she offered.

"I just want it for you. Endless orgasms were one of the things I promise," Percy finally retreated from her to grab the bags. Now assured that nobody was getting off, they could safely proceed with their road trip.

"You'll make up for it later," she chuckled. It took them fifteen more minutes of Annabeth convincing Percy they'd grabbed everything before they were able to leave. Normally, Annabeth was the planner. She'd planned and checked off everything, but now Percy was more paranoid than ever, so he found it necessary to double check things and add items that they would never need. It was infuriating, but finally they were off.

The first day of the meet was when he swam the most. Annabeth settled herself down in front row at one end of the pool. For a professional event, not that many people came. Unfortunately, the crowds really only came when it was something Olympic related. That'd be for next year. Because of that, she was able to get a decent seat, especially once people noticed how pregnant she was. His coach was on deck with him, helping him stretch and prepare. His trainer and quickly close friend Grover and his wife, Juniper, sat with Annabeth. Grover went wherever Percy did. If he wasn't helping him work out, then he was helping him stretch. His wife was a massage therapist, so they really were an optimal duo.

"Have you named her yet?" Grover asked. They

Annabeth bit her lip. "Maybe. Percy doesn't want to make it official until we see her. He says she must look like a Mariana to be called Mariana."

Grover nodded. "That's a good point."

Meanwhile, Juniper laughed. "That's a beautiful name."

Annabeth patted her belly with sureness. "Thank you. She better look like a Mariana because we haven't agreed on any other names."

"Percy's up. Let's goooo, Perce! Come on!" Grover shouted, making Annabeth wince. She beamed proudly, but she wasn't able to stand and cheer as easily as she used to. It didn't matter. Percy still caught her eyes, offering a wink that made all her blood rush to her head. Her smile faded as she got dizzy, and she held still to the seat as the feeling passed.

"You okay?" Juniper asked.

Annabeth blushed. "Yeah," she bit her lip. "He's just…distracting." Maybe he'd been right to offer an orgasm or two. It would have made her less jumpy.

His first race went okay. After two more heats, Percy made it into the semifinals for the 500-meter breaststroke, but he was cutting it close. Freestyle is up next, and Annabeth couldn't have been more excited for it. While she loved watching him swim breaststroke, his favorite was freestyle sprint.

The air in the pool was much more serious than she'd been expecting for day one of this meet, but then again, this was a whole new level. There were announcers and media presence all around. It was somehow more exciting than in college, even if she missed the team chanting Percy on.

He had some time between heats, so he and his coach moved over to the stands. Percy leaned lazily on the bar, smile tight on his face. "How are my girls doing?"

Annabeth rubbed her stomach happily. "We're impatient. You took too long to finish, Mariana said." Percy pouted at the easy use of her name.

"Hey! Tell her to respect her father," he exclaimed, looking at Grover widely. "They always say boys are easier than girls." Annabeth kicked at his head, but he caught her foot and rubbed her feet, looking at her ankles with concern. "Your ankles are bigger than normal. Really, Annabeth, you okay?"

She waved a hand. "It happens when I walk a lot, Percy. I'm _fine_. Focus on your race."

His coach snorted. "See. Someone has the right mind between the two of you." His coach was an interesting person. He called himself Hedge. Coach Hedge. He and his wife had just had a baby girl four months ago, and now he was fully invested in their pregnancy as well, as long as it didn't interfere with a meet. Like today.

Annabeth chuckled. "Go prepare. We'll be cheering you on!" Not looking happy about it, Percy gave her a soft kiss before heading back over to stretch. There were four more heats to sit through, and all during that time Mariana kept kicking. One prominent kick to her bladder made her groan.

Percy was on deck, but it'd still be a few minutes. "I'm going to head to the bathroom," she said, and Grover helped her to her feet. She took two steps before sudden immense pain rippled through her stomach.

She groaned, falling back into a seat with wide eyes as the pain increased. Annabeth clutched at her stomach, taking deep breaths to try and settle her body. Immediately, Juniper came to her side.

"Annabeth? Are you okay?"

Normally, Annabeth would tough through it. But normally it didn't feel like her whole body was being slowly ripped apart starting from her stomach. Frantically, she shook her head no.

"Oh gods," Juniper muttered, slapping Grover until he came over.

But then, all of a sudden, it stopped.

She relaxed back into the seat with a relieved sigh. She thought it was over with, but Juniper confirmed her worst thought. "That was a contraction," she cursed. "Annabeth, you're going into labor."

She snorted, waving a hand. "No I'm not. I still have three weeks."

They both glanced at each other wearily. "It's called pre-term labor. You'll be fine, but you are having her soon."

"I'm not," she huffed. "Oh, look. Percy's up!"

Percy was swimming great today, and she didn't want to miss it. With concerned glances passing between Juniper and Grover, they moved back to their seats. Percy dove into the water and swam like his life depended on it. When he pulled ahead to second place, Annabeth jumped to her feet and cheered. Unfortunately, a mere ten minutes after the first pain, it hit her again. Her cheer of happiness turned into a scream of pain, gaining the attention of much of the nearby crowd as she collapsed back into Juniper's arms.

It was that same pain that caused her to tense up completely. It was so much harder to breathe through it, this time. She fish-mouthed as tunnel vision helped her concentrate on getting through it, but it felt like it'd never end.

When it finally did, people were cheering. Juniper was holding her upright, along with Grover. "Annabeth, you could hardly _breathe_through that one. You need to go to the hospital if you can't talk through them."

Annabeth gritted her teeth, standing to put her backs to them and to see how Percy did. "It was ten minutes apart. The doctor said we can wait until seven to come in."

"Do you even know where the hospital around here is?" Juniper asked. "I think going in early would ensure there is an OBGYN on call, Annabeth!"

"Shh! Look! He got second!"

There were three more semifinal heats, but the finals weren't for two days. Percy had another qualifier to swim in an hour, but after that he was done.

Just as Percy headed near them, a camera man and journalist grabbed him. Annabeth smiled. He did well on camera.

"I wonder if – oh fuck," Annabeth groaned suddenly, clutching her stomach and wincing as the pain hit her again. She worked on taking deep breaths.

"Annabeth, how much time was between that?" Juniper asked as Annabeth squeezed the life out of Grover's hand. He let out a little whimper, to which Annabeth wanted to kill him. It was nothing compared to the body-paralyzing pain she felt. It made her head swim and her lungs scream.

"S-si-x-ugh," Annabeth struggled to speak, but it was so much worse. Juniper looked at Grover once, and then he stood up.

"Perce! Get over here!"

Annabeth took deep breaths, praying relief would come soon.

"It's time, dude! She's having serious contractions!"

Finally, a break came, and Annabeth sucked in as much air as she could get. She could breathe, but it was so much easier to deal with the pain by not. As she focused back on the surroundings, Percy came into her vision.

"Hey, babe," she huffed. "You did great."

"Annabeth, you're having contractions? How far apart?" Percy asked.

"I'm really not," Annabeth shook her head. "Just cramps."

Percy cursed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Juniper?"

"Six minutes apart."

"Apart?" Percy shouted, jumping to his feet and grabbing their bags. "Annabeth's fucking lost it."

Annabeth's mouth dropped open. "Excuse me?"

Blanching, Percy sat beside Annabeth and clutched at her hand that she kept stealing away. "Babe, you're in labor. You know this shit. You – gods, why didn't you get me? Why are you being-?"

She slapped him across the face. If she hadn't been so pregnant that it restrained her arms, she could have punched him. Hotly, she got to her feet. "If you want to be nice, you can find me in the room. If you want to keep acting like an ass, don't bother."

Annabeth grabbed her purse and walked as fast as she could manage out of the pool. Percy had to swim later, so he couldn't follow her. She'd catch a ride to the hotel in an Uber and take a nice bath to attempt to get rid of Percy's jerkiness behavior.

Then, as she descended the stairs, Percy's hand suddenly wrapped around her waist. "Hospital, babe," he huffed. Three bags were hanging off his body. Somehow, he'd taken the baby go bag into the pool with him, along with his bag of clothes and gear bag.

"Not a chance, babe," she said, and then she stopped walking altogether as another wave of pain hit her. Without thinking about it, she kept herself steady on Percy, nails digging into skin.

"Percy Jackson! Is this your girlfriend?" Annabeth vaguely heard the sound of a camera going off. She groaned, struggling to keep control of her mouth. "Is she going into labor?"

"Fuck!" she hissed under her breath. "Fuck, fuck, fuck."

There went that goal.

"No, I'm not!" she shouted a little louder than necessary.

"Yes, you are," Percy insisted, hands on both her arms as the pain finally subsided, but the after exhaustion hit her suddenly. "Annabeth. We're having our baby today. We're going to the hospital."

"No, we're not!" Annabeth insisted loudly, tears streaming from her eyes freely. "We're not. I'm not. I can't. I – I'm not ready. I can't do it."

She hung her head, and Percy wrapped her in his arms, murmuring in her ear, "You can do it, Annabeth. You're incredible. You can do anything. You know this."

"But this is different," she trembled. "I don't want to mess her up."

"You can't," Percy shook his head. "We'll do it together. As long as we try and love her with everything we have, we can't mess up. Not permanently, at least."

Annabeth cried even more as she weakly nodded. "Then…this isn't good. Because I think they're five minutes apart."

"Fuck," Percy cursed. He bit his lip for a moment, and then he grinned and shoved the bags into her arms. "Hold on."

"Ah!" Annabeth cried out as Percy swept her legs out from underneath her and held her bridal style. "You should not be able to hold me when I'm this big. It's not fair."

Percy winked. "You're really not that big. It's, like, fifteen extra pounds. Nothing for me, babe."

Yeah. Totalllly just fifteen extra pounds.

"Stop being so smug," she rolled her eyes as the sounds of cameras went off around them. They'd managed to attract the attention of most of the journalists. Juniper and Grover came running out behind them, and Coach Hedge called out that he'd cancel the next swim. Percy walked swiftly out of there with so many people following him. "I really could walk myself. This is – fuckkkk."

She crumpled into Percy as another contraction hit her. This was so bad all she could do was dig her hands into his chest and take somewhat rapid breaths.

Just after the contraction as Percy was tucking her into his car, it hit her. "No! No. No, Percy, your mom! I need your mom here."

Percy's free hand rubbed circles on her shoulder as he sped off toward the hospital. "I can call her, but she's not going to make it."

Annabeth felt the world press on her shoulders as tears streamed down her cheeks, this time not in pain.

"We can do this," she muttered, looking at Percy. "We can do this, right?"

"Yes. Me and you. Always, Annabeth."

He patted her leg with a smile, and it was then that she finally took the time to realize he was in a speedo.

"We're about to have a baby. And you're in a speedo."

A grin broke out across his face.

Childbirth itself was awful. The pain was horrible. The knowledge that she probably shit herself was mortifying, even if everyone assured her she didn't. Doctors and such lied about that, and she knew Percy would lie his ass off, as well. Her mind wasn't focused on that for long, though. The epidural kicked in right on time.

When they asked her to push, Percy asked how. Annabeth then threw the nearest thing she could find at him – the hospital water bottle. "Fuck," he rubbed his eye.

"Such a bitch," Annabeth groaned, tensing her whole body as she pushed.

"I know, but you got my eye, babe," Percy whined as Annabeth screamed, pain pushing past the dullness caused by the epidural. When Annabeth let go of his hand, he shook it out and walked behind Dr. Apollo, who was grinning with enough excitement to make Annabeth's foot 'accidently' slip and hit him a few times. "Hey, since when did you dye your pubes? That had to be hard to do."

"That, Mr. Jackson, would be blood and a little of the baby's hair," Apollo chimed. Percy's chuckling smile fell as all the color disappeared from his face.

"I – what? That – that's the baby? That's her?"

"Can you stop being a fucktard?" Annabeth shouted. Apollo told her to push again, so Percy moved to her side. "Sorry. Love you. But please use that seaweed fucking brain of yours."

Percy licked his lips, focusing as he nodded. He seemed confused, which wasn't too uncommon. "Squeeze my hands as hard as you're pushing, okay?"

Apollo huffed, "That's kind of using good energy she could put into pushing. Like I said to do. An entire minute ago."

Again, Annabeth kicked him. Then, she grabbed Percy's hand with both of hers and squeezed so hard he screamed along with her. Seriously, he was sure she'd broken his hand, and Annabeth didn't feel bad about it at all.

The sound of shrill little cries filled the room, and all pain disappeared.

"Congrats, kids, you have a beautiful baby boy!"

"Wait – what?" Annabeth dropped Percy's hands, craning her head to get a look. "Let me see."

"We were supposed to have a girl," Percy frowned, walking around to see the baby. Annabeth, who still couldn't get a look, watched Percy. She watched the way his eyes blew out wide and grew wet immediately, the way his jaw dropped, the way his skin flushed. The nurse gave him scissors, and he numbly cut the cord. "What the fuck, Annabeth," he said in awe, snorting as the nurse passed Percy a bundle wrapped in a blanket, "we ordered a girl."

"Shut the fuck up, Percy," Annabeth sniffed as tears of her own spilled down her cheeks. Their baby _boy _wouldn't stop crying, and it might have been her new favorite sound. It was so beautiful. Then, Percy turned and moved to Annabeth's side, holding an incredibly tiny human with so much hair it should be illegal.

"Unless you got multiple expensive 3-D scans, it's not too uncommon to miss the penis in ultrasounds," Apollo informed.

Annabeth hardly heard him anymore. She reached out, and Percy placed the squirming, wailing little boy in her arms. He was beautiful, with hair as dark as Percy's and an adorable, tiny little nose. His thin little lips were just turning pink, and even if he was covered in blood and other fluids, she couldn't be happier.

"He's perfect," she cooed. "It's okay, baby. Shh. You're with mommy and daddy now. We love you, so much."

"I can't believe it," Percy cried, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Look at him, Annabeth. Oh my gods."

"I'm sorry, guys," Apollo stood, pulling on clean gloves. "We need to check his vitals. He's pre-term and I'm guessing underweight, so I'd prepare yourselves for placing him in the NICU."

The NICU stood for neonatal intensive care unit, which wasn't nearly as scary as it actually was. Annabeth pulled the baby back a bit because she almost didn't want to let him go, but she knew this was necessary. It'd be best for him.

"Wait," she said as Percy lifted him again. "We have to name him."

"You don't have to yet," a nurse offered, but Annabeth shook her head, looking desperately at Percy, who bent a little so they could both look at him.

"Percy?" Annabeth whispered, druggily reaching a hand out to pet his soft head of black hair. He moved away from the touch, making this little cooing sound for a moment before he started crying again. His little fists were mesmerizing.

"Hmm?" His gaze didn't waver from the tiny baby in his arms, like he was the eighth wonder of the world. Annabeth knew exactly how he felt.

"He looks like a Cameron," she whispered as the nurse hovered behind him. Percy's eyes finally moved away from the baby, and it was then that he finally handed him off. They both watched as the nurse took him to a bed station.

"He looks exactly like a Cameron," Percy breathed, clutching at Annabeth's hand like she was the thing keeping him up.

"Cameron Jackson," Annabeth whispered in awe. Percy kissed her cheek as he laughed euphorically.

"Cameron Jackson," he hummed.

"Alright,_dad_, feel like watching her birth the placenta? It's pretty cool!" Apollo announced.

"How is that cool!?"

"Most dads pass out. _I_enjoy that, at least!"

. . .

The funny thing was that Percy showed up the next day to his final by force. As in, Annabeth bribed Coach Hedge and Grover to drag him there. It also helped she threatened to withhold sex for two months if he didn't go. Someone obviously still hadn't told him it'd probably take near six weeks for her genitals to be ready for any forms of sex. Then there was also Annabeth pointing out that they kind of needed the money he'd get if he did well.

The even funnier thing was the interview he got after he placed fifth.

"Frankly, we're amazed you're even here. Wasn't that your pregnant wife you carried out yesterday, causing you to miss your favorite qualifier - freestyle?"

"Well, she's actually my – I mean, she's my wife in my heart, sure – but I think she calls herself my girlfriend," Percy chuckled with the crooked grin that made Annabeth's heart melt. She watched his race from her laptop with Juniper while Cameron slept in the NICU. "Yes, um, actually I'm happy to announce we went to the hospital and now have _the _best baby boy you've ever seen. Seriously, you can't get cuter than him."

"Congratulations! Just had to take a break to snag fifth place?"

Percy snorted. "Do you see my black eye? Pregnancy is terrifying, and post-pregnancy Annabeth is like Nyx herself. She threatened to – well, basically make it forever impossible of making more beautiful babies – if I didn't swim. He came early, so he's in the NICU for a few days, but so far he's been going strong."

"That is a gnarly shiner. Well, great swimming, and congrats on becoming a dad! Sounds like pregnancy took more of a toll on you than your wife!"

"Ha! She will literally hunt you down and kill you. And me. Please, please take that back."

"Funny, Jackson!"

"Seriously. Please."

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**A/N: ooooo guys! SO to percabethperfect for giving me a great idea! There will be another part of this. All this was mainly fluff, but I'd expect to see one more chapter after this. It actually has a little plot, kind. I haven't written it yet, though, so it may be a few days.**

**Anyways, what did you think? I tried to make childbirth as realistic as possible. (when their water breaks it means the baby is seconds away from coming out, not a ride to the hospital long!) I want to be a doctor, but I am not one yet, so I may have still gotten it wrong, but what can you do? **

**Leave me your thoughts, please! I love hearing feedback!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

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Between a wild two-year-old and finally starting up schooling again, Annabeth was busy. Percy, however, was not. After the Olympics last year, where he got silver in two events, won gold in one, and got bronze in five, Percy's life consisted of constant promos and other types of endorsements. It was hectic and left Annabeth alone with Cameron half the time, which she didn't mind, but it wore her thin. As concerning as it was, when Percy strained his ACL in training, he decided to take some time off. Nike and his other sponsors approved it as long as it wasn't longer than six months and that he did more promos and advertisements during his time off. Percy said as long as it was local, he was fine with it.

It was so odd having him home for longer than a week at a time. They were in a townhouse near campus, so it wasn't cramped, but it didn't matter with Cameron. He'd taken Annabeth's curls, and it was like it was his life mission to put his food in them. That's how Annabeth found Cameron and Percy most days when she came back from classes. Sometimes, they both had food in their hair.

"Discipline, babe," she sighed, but there was a hint of amusement in her tone. They were both kind of adorable.

"He kept laughing. How can you resist his little giggles?" Percy insisted as he shook the slop of applesauce into the sink. Annabeth swiped a washcloth from a drawer and did her best with Cameron's hair.

"Mama!" Cameron shouted excitedly, clapping his hands and pouring more food off his high-chair. Annabeth groaned. At least the rest of the kitchen seemed to be clean. She reluctantly placed him on the chair after giving him a tight hug that he kicked out of. Then, he went running into the play room.

With her eyes glancing toward Cameron as he poured out a box of blocks to play with, she tugged off her blazer. "How was classes? You look like you're in law school."

She snorted, offering Percy a new soapy washcloth for his hair. "Dress code," she shrugged. "It was really cool, but…I don't know if I want to keep up with it. I mean, it's two years of this."

Her words made Percy still in his cleaning ministrations. "What are you talking about? This has been your dream for years," he walked around and grabbed her hand. Cameron let out a roar, attracting her attention.

"I know," she smiled softly, gazing as their son threw blocks everywhere. The moment he turned one and three quarters, Annabeth learned it was best to get him to pick up as much as she could and then save the rest for when he slept. Otherwise, it was a never-ending battle of picking up toys while Cameron caused more destruction. "I just miss him is all. It's been two weeks. I should be imagining designs for buildings, but instead, I'm wondering what Cameron's doing and saying."

Percy cracked a sad smile, walking forward to wrap his arms around her. Face squished into his chest, she took the time to savor the feeling of being in his arms. Despite still smelling faintly of applesauce, Percy smelled of the sea and his own woodsy scent that Annabeth was quickly growing to crave. He still swam every day, but now he had time to shower with his 'special' shampoo that he refused to shower without, so he didn't smell distinctly like chlorine all day.

"It's awful," Percy groaned in sympathy. He'd know the most. While Annabeth worked after a couple months, her job was hardly demanding. She worked from home, looking over architecture designs and forms and ensuring nobody overlooked something. It was far from what she wanted to do, but it gave her experience and worked well with caring for a newborn. "I'll send you videos like you did for me when I was away."

Percy gave her one finally squeeze, making her breath escape her, and then he released her enough to beam down at her. "He had four tantrums today, but only two was about you."

Annabeth offered him a smile. "Progress. Is it bad that it makes me sad?"

Percy shrugged, looking over her shoulder. From the sounds of 'vroom vroom vroom' coming from Cameron's mouth, Annabeth guessed he was occupying himself in a nice game of cars, and based off the way Percy turned around with one of his wicked grins, she assumed she was correct.

"You look hot, Annabeth Jackson," Percy smirked, hands slipping down her back to grab her ass. "Like a dirty professor."

Annabeth chuckled. "You're into role playing now, Mr. Jackson?"

Percy licked his lips in a tantalizing way. "I'm into you, sweetheart. However I can get you."

When their lips slid hesitantly against each other's, it reminded her of just how long it had been since they had time alone. He wasn't wrong in asking her for whatever way he could get her. She wanted him in such simple terms, as well. They haven't shared more than a kiss before bed in over a month. At first, it was because Percy was away, doing his final out of area promotion before her classes started. When he got home, she just assumed they'd have sex the first night or two. Whenever they found time. But then her classes started, and she was in over her head in homework, and Cameron ran them both wild and cried until he got to sleep in their bed half the time.

"I don't know. You might have to take me," she mumbled as his tongue darted out to lick along her lower lip. Her fingers dug into her biceps that were so firm it made her body flush all over.

"Oh_baby_," Percy growled, kissing her hungrily and fast and more than he had in so long. Annabeth's hand found their way into his hair, tugging on it as she slipped her tongue along his, struggling to give him a fight. Percy walked them back until his hips pressed her into the counter, lifting her up. He was just moving to her neck, nipping her slightly when a loud crash echoed from throughout the apartment.

"Oh my gods!" Annabeth grasped, shoving out of Percy's arms as shrill cries erupted. She found Cameron with books from the bookshelf all around him. He was clutching his hand. "Cameron, baby," she cooed. "What hurts?"

"M-my hand," he cried harder as Annabeth picked him up into her arms, cradling her head to her chest and giving him reassuring kisses.

"Aw, let me see," she took his hand. Three fingers were red, but otherwise he was fine. "Here, let daddy heal it with a kiss."

Percy was already watching, so he bent down and took his hand, pressing his lips to it once. Twice. Three times, and then he blew a strawberry into his forearm. Cameron pulled away with a quick laugh that stopped the crying.

"Next time ask me or mommy to help get a book, okay?" Percy ruffled his hair, looking at Annabeth with relief. She smiled slightly. It could have been a lot worse. They really never could leave a toddler alone for long. "_Later_," Percy mouthed with a wink, but Annabeth knew that wouldn't happen. She had a paper to write up.

. . .

Two weeks later, it hadn't occurred to Annabeth that the _later _Percy was talking about hadn't happened until Piper asked if Percy's stamina had worsened since he stopped training as hard. It was meant as a joke because he obviously still trained, but his diet wasn't as strict anymore, but it did get her thinking.

"Piper, we haven't had sex in almost two months," Annabeth stated calmly, as if she were commenting about the weather. Piper gasped over the phone, voice cutting out for a moment.

"A – are you guys okay?" she whispered like it was a trade secret. Annabeth snorted. She wasn't worried, not in the least, but she was confused, which was rare. "I know Jason and I just got married, so sex is, like, amazing, but that's got to be concerning."

"Not really," Annabeth thought about it. "He hasn't complained, and neither have I, but I will admit, I never thought we'd have a dry spell within a year of marriage."

Piper laughed. "You got married ten months ago. That's almost a year."

"But not quite."

Piper was silent for a while, and the sound of Jason splashing in the water came from the background. She must have been watching one of his training sessions. "Why haven't you? Cameron in the way?"

Annabeth sighed as she glanced outside. Percy and Cameron were in the driveway drawing with chalk. It warmed her heart to see them playing together. Percy honestly didn't seem like he wanted to be anywhere else. She, unfortunately, was stuck inside crafting bridge designs.

"Yeah. I love him to death, Piper, but he's wild. We haven't had the bed to ourselves in weeks," Annabeth rolled her neck, remembering how she'd woken up to a tiny foot in her face, pushing her head sideways for who knew how long in the night.

Piper laughed. "Get a quickie in the shower or something."

"You think if we can't sleep alone that we can get a shower alone?" Annabeth snorted. "As if."

Piper laughed some more, and then she was talking to someone else. "Jason says to sneak it under the covers one night. What the baby doesn't know won't hurt him."

"You two are horrible," Annabeth deadpanned. "Thanks for the advice, but I've never had a problem seducing Percy before."

With that, Piper declared the problem solved and said she had to go, which was fine with Annabeth. She had to finish her work in order to prepare for tonight because tonight she was having sex, and that was final.

"He's getting freckles!" Percy whispered, hand combing through Cameron's curls. Annabeth looked up from her desk, smiling as their son clutched tightly at Percy's shirt. It was midnight. Tonight was one of their less successful nights of getting him to bed on time.

"He's a little devil in an angel's body," Annabeth confirmed as she stood from her desk.

"Coming to bed?" Percy scooted over, patting the space on his other side even though they never let Cameron be on the edge, especially Percy's edge.

Annabeth took a shaky breath, suddenly feeling her heart in her chest. She felt like she was back in college, debating over sending a 'are you up?' text to Percy for ten minutes before she finally deleted it. It'd been a while since she was nervous about anything sex related, but it was kind of thrilling.

"No, but I going to come tonight."

Percy sat up a little, snorting, "Well I'd hope so. I don't know where else you'd sleep. Cam's crib is a little small for you, babe."

Annabeth blinked. Just – what? How had he missed her horrible sex pun?

"No –," she shook her head. "That's not what I meant."

Percy cocked his head to the side. "What did you mean?"

She crossed her arms over her chest with a scowl. "I want to have sex tonight. That's what I meant." It was like sex was a foreign word that took a moment to register in his brain, but when it finally did, his whole body perked up.

"Are you serious?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, feeling annoyance prick at the back of her mind. It had been _way _too long. Instead of speaking, she turned her back to him and undressed on her way to the bedroom door. "You coming?"

"Fuck yes!" Percy jumped up in a rush, voice carrying as loud as a shout, and it was immediately followed by the sound of their son. Annabeth gasped, and scrambled out the door.

"Mommy?" Cameron's voice wavered with fear, and Annabeth cursed.

"Shh, shh," Percy said, but his heart wasn't into it. "Daddy's here." He sounded like he was sentencing himself to death. "Mommy is…busy having alone time. I've got you."

"I got bad dream," he sniffled, and the sound alone broke Annabeth out of her mission to have an orgasm tonight. She could easily do as Percy said and have alone time with herself, but she'd managed to sneak that in her showers here and there. The sound of her scared son forced all thoughts away, though, and now she hated that she tried to be sexy because now she couldn't even forgo her decision and comfort her child.

"It's okay. I'll tell you a good bedtime story. Under the covers."

"O-okay."

Annabeth waited half a minute before peaking her head back inside. Percy looked at her angrily – the anger wasn't directed toward her or even their kid. Clearly, their lack of sex had evaded his mind, more or less, and now that he'd gotten his hopes up, he was upset.

"Oh my gods," Percy groaned as Annabeth hurriedly threw on a shirt. She flashed him a finger before he ducked back under the covers. Yeah, she was pissed, too.

Later that night, Annabeth climbed in beside Percy and lifted Cameron so he slept on top of them. Just getting so close to having sex caused her to crave his touch, so she got as close to him as she could.

"I miss sex," she whispered into the dark. In response, Percy tightened his grip around her waist. Cameron shifted between them and nearly kicked her in the vagina.

"I miss your body," Percy agreed. "So fucking hot. So fucking close."

"Shh," Annabeth hissed. "He could hear you."

"Pretty sure he also heard you when you dropped the china set Tiger Woods gifted us. That had a variety of words," Percy muttered. Annabeth kicked out at him, but that only made Cameron slip into the crack of space between them. She groaned.

"Maybe we should plan it," Annabeth suggested.

"Are we really going to be those parents? That's boring sex waiting to happen," Percy whined.

"I'll take boring over none," she yawned, closing her eyes and praying for an interesting sex dream tonight. "It's been almost two months. We're absolutely to that point."

"You're right," Percy rubbed at his eyes. "My mom is due for a visit. We could spend a night or weekend in a hotel."

Annabeth surveyed the idea. "That makes it a little hotter. Sounds like an affair almost."

"Practically is," Percy snickered. "I think we need to re-consummate our marriage."

"How will we convince your mom to come out here for no reason?"

"Don't worry about it. I've got it covered."

. . .

When Annabeth opened the door that Friday evening, she was covered in bubbles and shampoo. Her white shirt was wet to the point of being see through, and she hadn't washed her hair in three days.

"Oh my gods, Sally!" Annabeth flung her arms around her, completely forgetting about being wet. "Sorry! I – I had no idea you were coming!"

Sally chuckled warmly, patting her cheek in that motherly way that always made Annabeth's heart lighter. "Percy said he told you. Where is my demon son and grandson, anyhow?"

Annabeth chuckled. "As you can tell, I just gave Cam a bath. Percy said he had to run to the store. Not sure what for…oh!" She suddenly realized what it was for now. "Let me get the guest bed turned out!"

Sally chuckled. "Annabeth, love, I know what it's for. You go pack some clothes. I'm here for the weekend, and you won't be allowed back in the house for the entirety of it!"

Annabeth's mouth hung open. "Y-you know?"

Mortification set in, but Sally's kind eyes didn't waver. That made it so much worse, really. "He's still my son. I will always read him like a book."

"Oh dear," she whispered under her breath. "Um – I – just – might kill Percy – Cam – Cameron's in the play room."

Sally gave her a firm hug, kissed her cheek, and ventured off to find Cameron. It was clear when she did because Cameron's giggles increased.

Percy took that time to come through the door.

"Perseus Jackson! I am going to strangle you! Your mother knows we're going to have a sex-filled fucking weekend!" She hissed, storming over to him in a rage.

"Hey, babe, I thought I did the strangling," Percy chuckled smugly, grabbing her wrists to keep her from hitting him. His comment did not quench her fire. It really did the opposite. "I'm sorry. She saw right through my request that Cam was crying for her. So I just told her."

Annabeth gritted her teeth. "You're lucky I'm desperate."

Cameron threw a massive fit when they left. Annabeth almost didn't leave, but Percy 'escorted' her out the door and Sally locked it, so she really had no choice. It was relieving to know they'd only be twenty minutes away if they were needed.

It was a nice hotel, one that had a fancy bathroom and everything. After they set their bags down, they both took a deep breath to sit on the bed. "This is so weird," she muttered, eyes closed as she glanced reluctantly at Percy. She had no idea what to do next. The idea of having sex still seemed so far away, which was crazy.

"I feel like he's going to crawl out of our bag any second now," Percy whispered in his raspy voice. They lied there for a few minutes, neither of them talking. Then, ever so slowly, Percy's fingers ghosted up her thigh. "Do you still want to have sex?"

The question felt so odd, but she said yes anyways.

Percy nodded, almost to himself, and then he started kissing her neck. It was slow and almost mechanical. He was lying on his side, but he was so far away. Even when she pulled him closer and on top of her, nothing seemed to change. She closed her eyes and pulled his lips to hers, and it got a little better, but it still was so off.

"Percy?"

He stopped almost immediately, and though she asked in a normal, unaffected voice, he'd normally never stop so quickly.

"Why does this feel so off?" She jutted out her lower lip, eyes searching his for understanding. His head fell down on the bed in dismay.

"I think I forgot how to have sex," Percy whined, green eyes misty and aggravated. Annabeth giggled, scooting closer so she could run her hands through his hair and push his head back at the same time. "Professional swimmer hotshot can't get his wife turned on, let alone off. Fuck me."

This time, Annabeth hit him upside the head and moved so she straddled his hips. If he couldn't get her in the mood then she would. Besides, he was being more than ridiculous. "Shut the fuck up."

"All this time off and I forget who I am," Percy around a small smile. At least he was joking now.

"You're still hot," Annabeth leaned forward and pressed her lips to his chest. "You're still a professional swimmer." Another kiss, this one to his jaw, and she gave him a little nip. "And you're definitely still my daddy."

Like a wave, lust washed over Percy. His eyes grew darker, and his hands fell to her hips, sliding her body up his to get the slightest hint of friction. "Gods, I love you," he breathed seconds before lunging upward and capturing her lips in his. The kiss was dark and desperate and everything she'd been craving. His lips were insistent with each kiss, and he tasted like mint as his tongue swirled around hers.

His hand came down hard on her ass, eliciting groans from of them. She rocked her hips down, feeling hot energy surge through her that had been so foreign for so long. Percy's hands wound their way into her hair, giving strong tugs that sent her further under his spell.

In a whirl, Percy flipped them over, body crawling up Annabeth's with an animalistic pattern. "Clothes off," he growled. With a whimper, Annabeth hurriedly struggled underneath him to pull off her shirt and pants. It was hard to do with Percy literally hovering over her, but he seemed to like that. His smile grew dirty watching her squirm beneath him. "Good girl," Percy grunted in a low voice that sent a chill down her body. "Is that it, baby? Is that what you wanted – to do everything I tell you?"

He knew that was it. It's always been it. "Y-yes," she whimpered as his lips attacked her neck, kissing her softly enough to leave no mark, but hard enough to have her withering beneath him. He ground his hips into hers, and then she was pulling his shirt off desperately, hands running down his abs like it was the only thing she desired.

Suddenly, he got up, walking to his bag, and Annabeth shamelessly checked him out. One of the many reasons she loved that Percy was a professional swimmer was that meant he had to be in shape, and there was no denying how toned his body was. His back muscles alone had her clamping her legs shut, eager for friction she knew he'd provide.

"Couldn't find our old handcuffs," Percy murmured as he produced a black plastic bag. It came from their favorite sex shop, and it made her heart pick up. "So I got new ones." They had black fur on it to keep her wrists from getting marked up, and he clamped them on behind her back tightly. "Since you want to be so handsy tonight."

Annabeth shuddered. "Sorry," she huffed, but her words were lost as Percy flipped her to her stomach, lifting her hips up and giving her ass a smack so hard it made her cry out. The sound of his clothes hitting the floor made her eyes shut.

She expected his fingers in her next, or maybe even his dick to tease her entrance. Considering how long it'd been, she assumed the first time would be hot and fast, but Percy had other ideas. The warmth wetness of his tongue teasing at her entrance made her moan, back arching, suddenly desperate to get off. "My beautiful baby," Percy hummed as he kissed her cheeks, moving closer to her with every kiss.

"Percy, please," she begged, but she was only rewarded with a firm smack to her ass. There would definitely be hand marks there, and that thought only made her flush more.

"What's my name?" He asked, accompanied with another smack that sent her head reeling.

"More," she wiggled her butt, enjoying the pain far too much. Percy knew this. He knew more about her needs than she did sometimes. "Please."

Percy smacked her again, and this time it was a numbing sort of pain that spread from her cheeks to her core like electricity. "Say it, Annabeth, or I won't let you cum."

Suddenly, his tongue licked up her entrance, flicking at her clit as his hand slapped her ass so hard she moved forward. The words spilled out her mouth like liquid. "Daddy," she moaned, and then his fingers were in her, curling and sending her over the edge she had no idea she was near. Her orgasm made her head spin, and for a second, she was satisfied, but he wasn't done with her. Not in the least.

Percy began eating her out while she came back into focus, and when she looked down his eyes were dark with lust. He made a show of it, as always. He knew he was good, and there was a smirk to his mouth as his tongue flicked at her clit, fingers moving back inside her at impossible speeds.

When she came again, she groaned at the realization of what he was doing. Annabeth, like all women, had different types of orgasms, and after two years together, even if their sex life wasn't as voluptuous as they wanted, Percy managed to figure out not just how many types of orgasms she could have, but how to produce each one. His favorite was just back to back to back endless orgasms. They blurred together that once he got her going, it was hard to tell when one ended and the other started. It was amazing, but it was so exhausting.

"Fuck me," she bucked her hips into his mouth, forcing him to pull away. He made a show of licking her juices from his lips, and that combined with the way his fingers were fucking her made her body tense and orgasm again. This time, she bit her lip and made as little sound as possible, not wanting to give Percy the satisfaction of knowing his talents were back like they'd never left.

"I don't know," Percy moved upward and flipped her around, lips capturing one of her nipples between them. It made her moan, eyes closing tightly as he flicked the other with his fingers. She wrapped her legs around his hips, grinding against his dick relentlessly. "You're not being a good girl for me, are you, Annabeth?"

She shook her head. "I will be. I swear – just – please!"

Suddenly, Percy thrust against her body, incredibly hard cock rubbing forcefully against her most sensitive areas. It made her cry out, right on the verge of another orgasm. "You were quiet. I don't like that. You know I want to hear you scream for me. Can you do that?"

There were plenty of reasons not to. So many reasons, but she didn't care at this point. His hard muscles hovered around her, and his lips again went to her boobs, teasing her nipples without a care. Then, his eyes locked with hers as his dick rubbed against her clit, and she came with a long, loud moan of his name.

"You like that?" Percy asked, and all Annabeth could do was nod. A crooked smile made its way onto his lips, and then he undid the handcuffs. His hand moved down her body, making her tense, and then he cupped her fully, fingers dipping in just slightly. "You're so wet. Is that for me?"

"Yes," she groaned, eyes closing as Percy trailed his dick along her entrance. "Yes, Daddy. So you can – ah – fuck me."

Percy chuckled in that smug way he did. "You want it so bad, don't you, baby?" Annabeth nodded, and then he inched just the tip in, but it was enough to make her eyes fly open and gasp. "So beautiful, Annabeth. Absolutely stunning. Let me hear you."

Without warning, Percy kissed her and thrust in at the same time. It'd been so long, she forgot what it felt like to feel completely fully. It was overwhelming, and sent her body in a desperate heat. He didn't hesitate to pull out and thrust in again, making her moan, body arching into his. She came again, screaming, "Percyohmygodsss," but it was okay. He let her slip ups fly after she'd had a few orgasms. Each one took a piece of her sanity away momentarily.

Percy kissed her hard, tongue fucking into her mouth at the same pace at times when Annabeth could nothing but barely move her mouth against his. After a bit, Percy groaned into her ear, chest falling against her. His teeth nipped at her ear, sending heat rushing through her body, and she came again, body turning numb. She had no energy left. It was all she could do to rock her hips into his.

This angle was amazing, hitting right where she craved most. "Daddy," she mumbled, eyes rolling into the back of her head as he slowed the pace down in a way he knew she loved. "Yes," she breathed. "Oh, fuck, daddy – I – I can't…"

"It's alright, baby," Percy kissed her ear, making her body convulse again. "I've got you. Let go. I'll take care of you."

He fucked into her faster then, harder, and it was too much. She slipped away, senses only alert to Percy above her, kissing her softly, but fucking her harder. His hands wrapped around her throat, making her eyes close again, and all she could hear was his voice groaning above her. All she could feel were his strong hands and the way he moved inside her with such sure motions that sent her through a wave of orgasms. It was like blackness, but not completely. It was a dream where she could only see and feel and hear the absolute most important things.

Percy came inside her, fingers finding her clit at the same time to pull her into an orgasm along with him. She was vaguely aware of gasping his name, and his hands being the only thing to keep her close to silent, though not completely.

"How many times was that, babe?" Percy asked after a minute of collecting himself, but the question was a jumbled mess in her ears. She shook her head, taking deep breaths to try and get her head back on right, but everything was coated in white. "Yeahhh, not enough. Gods, the sounds you make when you orgasm are so hot. I'm going down on you."

Annabeth groaned, unsure how she'd be able to move after this. She felt on the verge of passing out, but the moment his lips kissed down her stomach, her senses all jumped to life and focused on the gorgeous man settled between her legs.

His tongue moved faster than she remembered, not letting an inch of her go long without heat of his tongue. She clutched desperately at his hair, pulling hard enough for him to groan into her body.

"I – oh gods, Percy, fuck," she bucked her hips desperately as his tongue plunged inside her, licking touching everywhere. It made her body vibrate with energy.

And then, the sound of his cell phone went off, but they both ignored it. It rang again, and Percy paused.

"Don't you _fucking_dare."

So he didn't. He licked a stripe up her body, forcing her back to arch as a moan ripped out of her throat. She was so close, all energy running up her spine. Her hands flew to her hair, pulling at it as hard as her orgasm was about to hit.

His phone rang again.

"It's the third time my mom called – I need to take it."

The words didn't hit her, but it did when he rolled off the bed. "Percyyy," Annabeth whined, body rucking up into the air. He smirked, eyes traveling up her body slowly and particularly, making heat flush through her even more.

"Hey, Mom, is – oh, yeah?" Percy's sounded close to normal, if not then a little rough on the edges. Annabeth watched him as her hands moved to replace where his mouth left. A smirk found its way onto his mouth as he fell to the bed. He gave her a nod, motioning with his head to her hand. "No, he does that. He started pulling his hair when Annabeth left for school."

Percy licked his lips, mouthing, "do it," to her, and she was helpless to his commands. Her fingers rubbed over the clit, fast and desperate to feel the same way Percy made her feel. He shook his head, telling her to slow down, but she could still barely feel her fingers.

"It's not common, but we're working on it. Must run in the family. I mean, Annabeth was pulling her hair out just a few minut – sorry! I couldn't resist!" Percy chuckled as he fell onto his chest, and then his hand smacked hers away, replacing hers instantly. "I know. I know it was inappropriate."

Her pushed his fingers inside her, curling them frantically, and that was it. Her throat felt like it was ripping apart as she struggled to hold back her sounds. He grinned lustfully as her watched her come apart beneath him. "Nah, she's too preoccupied to be angry. I – sorry! Mom, what did you expect when you called?" He moved back up beside her, cradling Annabeth into his side as she shook with aftershocks. Exhaustion hit her, and her eyes closed as she breathed in his scent. "Yeah, he does it a lot. We're working on it. Just let him cry it out and then talk to him about why it was a bad thing."

Annabeth vaguely paid attention as he talked to Sally some more, but her energy was fading fast. She was covered in sweat and they both smelled like sex, but she couldn't do more than cuddle into his side.

"I've got to go – yeah, Annabeth needs – I just have to go, okay? I love you. Thanks again," Percy said, finally ending his call and focusing on Annabeth again. "Hey, babe, you with me already?"

Annabeth groaned, closing her eyes and wishing with everything in her semi-conscious mind that she had the energy to move. "Fucking hathe you, Percy Jacson."

"Wow. Brought back the speech impediment. A goodie but an oldie."

Sluggishly, she bit his pecs, making him jump with a chuckle.

"Come on, babe. Let's get cleaned up," Percy lifted her into his arms, taking her into the bathroom and mumbling things into her ear. "You're so cute, you know that?"

She managed a nod. "Duh. Condom?"

Percy's body stiffened, and then he cursed. "I might have forgotten that bit."

She never started up her birth control after the baby because she was already stressed about not losing the baby weight. She always gained a few pounds on birth control, but they'd just used condoms when they had time after Cam came around.

"Bad timing. Again," she sighed, finding her senses focusing again finally. "But maybe – I'd like another mini you around."

A nervous smile managed its way onto his lips. "Really?"

A blush made its way onto her cheeks, ironically. "Let me finish three-fourths of my classes. Then…it's kind of our job to provide another Jackson. Give USA a third Jackson Olympian."

Percy kissed her softly, slowly, and when he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers and breathed, "I love you so much, Annabeth. I'm so glad I knocked you up."

"Percy," she cackled with glee, and he only smirked with that crooked smile that showed he was not ashamed in the least. After a second, she had to sigh and peck his soft lips briefly. "I am, too."

"I really want a blonde baby with curls," Percy announced. "Push your genes harder when we fuck next, babe."

"Honestly, Percy, you're an idiot."

"Seriously. You're hotter. It's only fair to pass your genes on."

"You do know that's not an actual thing, right?"

Percy remained silent for a second too long, causing her to throw her head back into his chest with a groan.

"Fuck, I married an idiot."

* * *

**A/N: aww and that, my friends, is the end. Thank you to all who has stuck through this all. It was so much longer than I originally intended. Also, idk about the ending, but I think it's decent. Feel free to send any short story requests! **

**What did you guys think? How was it? Yes, I definitely went a little daddy crazy, but aside from that, thoughts? Overall, thank you for your love and responses. It's been great hearing so much feedback, and mostly all positive! I really love it!**

**Soooo originally, they were going to have a girl named Mariana, but the day I wrote the birth was the night of July 7th, and if any of you are Disney fans (um who isn't?) then you'll now that Cameron Boyce died July 7th. It really hit home with me. It's heartbreaking because he was so good hearted and we grew up with him and he reminded me so much of my little brother, and it was just rough. I coudln't imagine how painful it's been for his family. ANYWAYS as cheesy was it was, I couldn't stop imagining him as Percy and Annabeth's kid, so I decided to change it to Cameron as their kid minus the freckles bc I think that'd be inherited? It was dumb, but yeah. **

**Just remember how special a gift life is. :)**


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